Nightschool: The Weirn Books
by The Literary Lord
Summary: A written version of an original English language manga written by Svetlana Chmakova, posted here with permission from klowsko on Deviantart, who wrote it out. If you like this, please read the original manga version.
1. Chapter 1

**Nightschool chapter 1**

by *kwlosko

We push darkness away… with our fires and lamps and brightly lit cities. But even there, shadows lurk. In the dark corners, behind the cold glass of darkened mirrors.

As old as our world is this one – the world of the night. The place of blood magic, swift wings, and sharp teeth bared in a knowing smile. Push it away though we may in our cities…

…It's still there.

***

"I'm telling you, something's not right about this school."

Three high school girls were walking down the school hallway, ready to finally go home for the night.

"I get the heebie-jeebies whenever I stay late," the blonde girl continued, clutching the strap of her gym bag, the one that matched those of the other two girls, ponytail bouncing against the sleeve of her pink baby doll.

"Just because you're a scaredy cat doesn't mean the school is haunted," the Hispanic girl said, shaking her head so her hoops hit against her jaw and her ponytail brushed against her shoulders.

"Yeah, no more horror flicks for _you_, man," the brunette said, laughing and looking back at the two behind her. Her sneakers were bouncing against her back, arms set behind her head, pressing her messy bob against the back of her neck and pulling against her jersey.

"Just let us know when you start seeing dead people, 'kay?" the Hispanic girl said, pulling the hood of her red and white cropped jacket over her hair and looking at the blonde menacingly.

"Oh, very funny!" the blonde yelled back, hitting her in the arm.

_Hwoooo_…

The girls froze, their hair suddenly swept up in a breeze. The blonde grabbed the black-haired girl's arm as the lights started to flicker.

_Creak_

The girls' heads whipped toward the sound. The door to the hallway's girl's bathroom screeched open, the "Do Not Enter" sign plain, even in the dim, unnatural lighting. The girls turned to look at each other, eyes wide.

"…Huh?" the blonde exclaimed, staring at the open door. "Huh?"

"Just wind in the pipes," the Latina said, sounding more confident than she looked. "Or… or something."

The three of them crept over and peeked through the crack.

"This one's been closed since last _year_," the blonde whispered nervously. "And tell me it doesn't give you the creeps!"

The other two stepped in.

"ARGH, DON'T GO IN THERE!" the blonde yelled.

"Well, it's pretty dark, but other than that…" the brunette said, looking around.

The Hispanic girl flicked the switch next to the door. "Hey, the light switch doesn't work."

The three of them stepped farther in, toward the almost full-length mirror, the blonde glancing around nervously.

"Wow, this mirror's huge," the Latina said. The blonde looked behind them.

The girls froze, all three seeing the silhouette in the doorway.

They screamed.

A hand reached out and flicked the light on.

"What are you girls doing here?" The African American woman just outside the room asked. "All club activities are finished. You should be home."

"H-hello, Mrs. Hatcher!" the blonde said, shocked and relieved. The other two were breathing too hard to speak. "We were just, um…" She glanced at the other two.

"Save it," the woman said, hand behind her back. A strange swirl of energy appeared around the palm. She held it out in front of them.

"You lot get on home now," she said almost hauntingly, the swirl growing in front of their stunned faces. "If I catch you wandering unsupervised after hours again…"

The three of them turned around robotically, eyes glazed over and staring ahead blankly.

"You'll be glad it was me. And not something _else_," she finished.

She watched the three humans head toward the door, their minds wiped of ever having been in the out of use restroom.

Her attention turned to the clock above the door. She watched the seconds tick away until the minute hand landed on the 12 and the hour hand fully on the 6 with a resounding _tchk_.

She raised her hands level to her chest as the door clicked shut.

"The hour strikes and the time turns," she whispered. An engraved circle appeared around her feet, swirls of light and shadow swirling in front of her closed eyes and lifting her blouse and cropped-short hair slightly with a quiet breeze.

"This place… is no longer yours." The blinds drew together and the lock on the front doors clicked in.

"Shadows, resume your reign."

An engraved circle identical to the one around the keeper's feet appeared on the lengthy mirror in the restroom.

A shadow without a source appeared in the center, the fingers of one hand reaching through.

"Keeper," the smaller woman stepping though the glass whispered.

"Madam Night Principal."

"Good evening, how are–" the night principal said brightly, heels _takk_ing forward, a full folder balanced precariously under one arm, a cup of coffee scalding the other hand.

"Madam Night Principal, I would like to lodge a formal complaint!" Mrs. Hatcher interrupted.

The smaller woman gulped. "…O-oh. My favorite way to start work…" She chuckled nervously.

"We absolutely must move the gate to a better location!" the keeper continued. "You just narrowly missed meeting three very suspicious day students face-to-face!" She glanced back as if worried someone else had stayed behind.

The night principal turned away and huddled over her folder and coffee. "…Oh dear, um…" she muttered. "…Can I have my coffee first?" she asked sheepishly, starting to walk down the hallway.

"I cannot work under these conditions!" the taller woman complained, following her, her fingers snapping over her own words. "I am undermined at every turn!"

"…I'll just have my coffee first," the principal said, taking a sip. The steam made her glasses fog up.

"And the new night keeper is still not here!" Mrs. Hatcher exclaimed.

The night principal looked back at her quickly and a bit startled, her black bob brushing against her cheek. "She's not? Doesn't she have another training session with you today?"

"YES! She is always late! _Fire her already_," the day keeper insisted, scowling and leaning down so she was almost the principal's height.

"But the kids love her," the principal said nervously. "Let's give her another chance! I'm sure she's just on her way…"

***

Elsewhere in the city, a young woman in her mid twenties was snoring loudly on a black leather couch, messy brown bob half-covering her face.

Guess who it was.

The white-haired girl standing next to the couch stared down at her silently, a ghostly black form with white streaks on its "head" and a simple white mask-looking face that spread out into what would have been a hairline floating behind her.

The girl turned around and the spirit handed her a bucket of water.

"AAAAAH!" the woman screamed, awoken by the splash of cold. She looked around quickly, alarmed and confused, but the girl and spirit had already slipped around the corner.

The woman blinked, dazed.

And plopped her head back down on her soaked-through pillow.

"Ten more minutes," she grumbled.

The girl jumped back, shocked.

She ran over and tugged hard on the blanket now clutched in the woman's hands.

"Argh, get up!" the girl yelled, struggling to pull the blanket away. "You're already late! Come on, you can't sleep in a puddle!"

"I am a mermaid," the woman deadpanned, not lifting her head up.

"Like hell you are!"

"I don't have to work today."

"Lies, all lies!"

The girl grabbed a mug from the spirit's hands. "Drink this," she said, holding it out to the woman, "NOW."

"W-what is it…" the woman said nervously, still hiding under the covers.

"A magic drink that will turn you back into a human," the girl deadpanned. "Now, DRINK. Don't make me hold your nose again!"

Three magic drinks (coffee) later, the woman was running around the kitchen, struggling to put on a white button down over her black camisole.

"THBMNGF?" she asked through a bagel.

"It's on the kitchen counter," the girl said, now sitting at the kitchen table with a notebook and several sheets of paper, the spirit beside her. Her heavy bang almost concealed her eyes, and her squared-off bob did the same to her cheeks.

"FNGMMNG!" the woman exclaimed, dashing around.

"To your left," the girl said. "Your _other_ left."

"Bmhmn," the woman muttered miserably.

"Yeah, well, that's what you get for staying up so late," the girl said. She held out her hand and the spirit dropped a pencil into it. "Hey, you never gave me tonight's spell assignments."

The woman took the bagel out of her mouth. "Yeah, well, that's what you get for being home-schooled. I mean really, if only you…"

The girl's eyebrow twitched. She looked back at the woman. "This better not be another "school is awesome, you should go" speech."

The woman opened her mouth, hesitated, and looked away. "It-it's not."

"Good." The girl spread her hands apart, looking at the book the spirit was holding in front of her, a ball of energy forming between her hands.

The woman poked her head around the corner and looked at her as if there was something she wanted to say, but she knew she shouldn't.

"Don't look at me like that," the girl said, staring intently at the ball of energy. "You know why I can't go."

The woman looked away. "I, um… I-I think you could work around that. It's been what, three years? I mean, you're doing alright with me. Maybe with other people…"

"_No_," the girl said firmly, sketching on one of the sheets of paper.

The woman stared at the ground for another moment, then sighed. "Fine. Study pages 29-54. Try not to burn the house down."

The girl had her hands spread apart again, a swirl of energy between them. "I have a bucket of water, just in case. You may remember its cousin from fifteen minutes ago."

The woman froze, then chuckled. The next thing the girl knew, the woman's arms were around her. The girl's blue eyes looked up at her forehead against her head.

"Alex, Alex…" the woman said. "What am I going to do with you?"

She mussed up her hair.

"H-hey, stop that!" Alex exclaimed.

"Big sister pulling rank, ha-ha!" the woman said. "Whozza cutie, awwww!"

Alex struggled against her. "Argh! Stop being mushy! Eww!"

"Make me, make me!"

The woman kissed above her ear. "Study hard, hon," she said softly. "We'll figure this out, I promise."

She grabbed her bagel and purse and stepped toward the elaborate circle drawn on the wall. "Well, I'm off! If I don't come back within the next hour, that means I didn't get fired!"

Alex looked after her, obviously wanting to say something.

"Argh, where did I put my pass…" the woman grumbled through her bagel, both hands busy going through her purse.

"Sarah."

The woman looked up. "Hmm?"

"I, um…" Alex started. "I hate you," she whispered.

Sarah smiled. "I know. I love you, too." She stepped backwards into the now-open portal. "See you in the morning!"

Alex looked after her a moment, then leaned her head against the spirit's and caressed its mask-like face.

***

An African American man stepped too close to the edge of the skyscraper, looking up at the sky with his almost-white eyes, dreadlocks blowing in the wind.

"Teacher," one of the seven kids behind him said. He was a red-haired, blue-eyed teenage boy with freckles and glasses, a shark tooth necklace blowing from his black T-shirt to knock against his many-pocketed jacket. "Are we Hunting tonight?"

"Yes," the man said, not turning to look at him.

"Then…" another of the teenagers started. She was a pretty, if bitter-looking, Hispanic girl with dark brown hair almost down to her waist. Her right arm was crossed over her left one, which was holding a stake that was knocking against the daggers on her belt. The high collar of her white cloak blew against her neck and over her tight black top, almost covering the black clasp that attached one side of the collar to the other. "What are we waiting for?"

The man looked back at her. "_You_ are waiting until you learn the concept of patience."

"Ha-ha, gonna be a while for that one," another of the boys joked. He sneered at the girl, his dark eyes scrunching up, his shaggy brown hair blowing against the collar of his zipped-up sports jacket.

"Aw, _you_ should talk," the girl grumbled back.

"As for me…" the man continued, returning his gaze to the sky, "I am waiting for a bad omen."

A symbol appeared in the clouds. Three white lines swirling out from the middle of a circle of black.

"And there it is," he said. "Hmm." He pulled up the hood of his white jacket. "Cassidy."

"Sir?" the redheaded boy asked.

The man opened his jacket and checked the three daggers on the inside. "You and Teresa are in charge tonight. Bring everyone back safe."

"Yes, sir," Cassidy and the Hispanic girl said in unison.

The man looked back at them, a light smile playing on his lips. "Curfew's at 6 a.m. You know what happens for missing it."

He jumped off the building. "Play it right, Hunters."

The seven Hunters, Cassidy and Teresa in the forefront, watched him leaving, not so much running as almost flying.

At one edge of the group stood a girl with heavily made eyebrows and dark eyeliner almost covered by her heavy brown bang. The squared-off bob-like style just above her chin blew against her lips, almost hiding the red paint over the top one and down through the center of her chin. Her waist-length braid whipped around her, swirling over her red and gray collar-clasped jacket, the end brushing against her low-cut black shirt.

Behind her stood an older-looking African American boy with short, curly hair and a thick streak of red under his left eye. He adjusted the high collar of his dark brown jacket, his sleeve brushing against his white T-shirt.

Next to him stood an androgynous figure with fair hair just past the shoulders, covering half the teenager's face and brushing against a zipped-up gray and black sports hoodie.

Slightly behind stood a younger-looking, lighter-skinned African American girl with large, pretty, almost amber eyes and her hot pink-highlighted, extremely curly, almost black hair in layered pigtails that brushed against the hood of her zipped-up, blue-detailed white jacket. Unlike the others, she wasn't standing straight in their teacher's direction. Instead, she had her left shoulder forward like she was about to walk off to the right.

Next to her stood the boy who had called out Teresa. He was the only one not looking at where the man had jumped off the building. Instead he was looking off to the left, away from the others.

"Right, we move out," Cassidy said, looking around.

The African American girl took a stick of chocolate Pocky out of the pocket of her jeans and stuck it in her mouth, munching thoughtfully.

"Aw, _man_," the boy with the shaggy hair complained, "curfew? We 12 years old or_what_?"

"Shut it, J!" Teresa snapped. "You got a problem, you take it up with the old man himself, yeah?"

***

A seal crackled on the main door of the school, then fizzled out.

"Oops," Sarah muttered, hands still held out.

"Ugh, step aside," Mrs. Hatcher complained from behind her. She stepped in front of her and held her hands so the fingers almost formed a circle in front of her chest.

"Seal," she said, hands now held out in front of the door.

The engraved circle of the seal _kchk_ed into place.

"There… finally," Mrs. Hatcher muttered, brushing off her hands. "Do you have all the–"

She was interrupted by a loud _howwl_.

"Keys," she finished, both women's heads whipping around to look at the shadows flitting across the lockers.

_Sshaaaa_

_Screeech_

Mrs. Hatcher looked at Sarah. "A bit early for students to be arriving."

"Oh!" Sarah said brightly. "That's my manga/anime club."

Mrs. Hatcher stared at her suspiciously. "Your what?"

Sarah gulped. "A m-manga club… A-and anime… um, cartoons…"

Mrs. Hatcher's eyes narrowed at her. "You started an extra-curricular activities club?"

"Um, kind of…" Sarah said softly, nervously. "Several… We don't have a budget, I know, but we can fund-raise…"

Mrs. Hatcher turned away and scribbled something on a notepad.

"Oh, please don't fire me!" Sarah said desperately. "I need this job!"

Mrs. Hatcher turned back toward her and handed her the slip of paper. "Give this to Madam Chen. It's a recommendation that you get an activities budget and a raise."

Sarah blinked, uncomprehending. Then threw her arms around the older woman.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Sarah cried.

Mrs. Hatcher struggled to get loose. "If you are thankful, stop being late to work!"

"But it's so hard to wake up…"

"If I can do it, so can you! Being a keeper is not supposed to be easy! And we are not on hugging terms, so get off!"

Sarah complied. Mrs. Hatcher checked her watch and brushed her hair away from her forehead. "I am late for dinner, Miss Treveney, I have to go."

She stepped halfway through the portal the seal had opened for her. "Keep up the good work."

She stepped back so only a fuzzy silhouette was visible. "Be safe from Hunters."

The smile melted off of Sarah's face. "Be safe from Hunters," she echoed seriously.

Four haunting-looking shadows appeared behind her.

"Hello, Miss T," one the eerie figures whispered.

Sarah turned toward them, eyes glowing white with left-over magic.

"Hello, children. Welcome back."

***

The two men guarding a door in a vast Manhattan building stared at the man in front of them.

The Hunters' teacher had a crossbow aimed at them.

"How did you get in here?" one of the men said through his teeth, panic showing in his slit-pupiled eyes.

"Magic," the African American man said. "You boys going to be stupid, too, or are you going to step aside? And yeah, these are silver, in case you are wondering."

The door behind the two men creaked open an inch.

"Daemon, are you here?" a small voice from behind the door whispered.

"In the flesh, seer," the African American responded. "Got your message."

The men turned toward the figure mostly hidden by the door.

"Miss?" one of them asked, dumbfounded.

The figure behind them flung one of the doors open, hiding behind the other.

"Just be a minute," Daemon said, shoving a crossbow at each of the guards, who flinched involuntarily. "Hold on to these for me."

He stepped into the large, messy room and took in the elaborate and expensive furnishings.

"Psst!"

Daemon turned toward the source of the sound and saw a face peeking up from behind a couch.

He walked over and knelt down next to the small girl of about 12 or 13, her short, spiky black hair half-covering her pale forehead, her heavy eyeliner emphasizing the bags under her eyes. She was cowering under a small table, chin set on the torn stockinged knees pulled up to her chest, two tiny hoops in one ear and a large stud in the other brushing against them, combat boots pulled against the leather miniskirt half hidden by her white cloak.

"What's going on, kid?" he asked. "They treating you right?"

"No," she said quietly. "Yes. Yes, they are fine. They give me anything. Don't hurt them. It's not them."

"You've seen something," he realized.

The girl's hands came up to her face, fingers arching over her glazed-over eyes.

"A broken seal," she whispered. "Something… something was in there. Not anymore. There is me, standing. And then another. And another. Seven. All children. All cloaked in white. We waited a long time. And now… we walk away.

"And the sky turns wrong. There are _bodies_ everywhere. We walk. And walk. And walk."

Tears sprung into the girl's eyes. She buried her face in her hands. "Teacher, I am so scared."

"Marina, do you still want this job?" Daemon asked after a moment.

She shook her head. "I want to go home," she whispered.

"That's all I need to know."

A moment later, the door flew open. The guards ran in.

"Miss Zaikina!" one of them yelled desperately, only to discover their seer was missing, replaced with a note pinned to a table with a dagger, reading:

"Due to personal circumstances, Marina Zaikina is no longer able to remain in the employ of the Chase family as seer. Any concerns about this fact should be addressed to her legal guardian,  
>Daemon.<br>Daemon"

"Sorry 4 the  
>trouble<br>Marina"

The one reading the note stiffened and turned to the other guards, eyes wide. "You morons! Boar's going to have our hides for this!"

Daemon and Marina walked down the crowded New York City sidewalk, his arm protectively around her small form, emphasized by his impressive stature. She clung to his long black cloak that framed his more subtle jeans, sneakers, and white jacket, hood still over the head that was as high as two of her. She mumbled something incomprehensible.

"What is it?" he asked, looked down at her.

"I am still walking, Teacher," she whispered. "The others are still walking." She looked up at him. "But not _her_."

The image of a white-haired girl, a ghostly black form behind her, appeared in her head.

"She is already here."

So, what do you think? If you like it, check out the manga, which makes it easier to visualize what I'm putting here. There are 4 volumes, each containing 6 chapters.


	2. Chapter 2

**Nightschool chapter 2**

by *kwlosko

Alex took a step outside and set one hand on the rail, her spell book under her other arm. She looked up at the waning moon.

"New moon is soon," she said to herself. "Time to go."

She took another step forward, only for the hood of her jacket to snag on something. She turned around and saw her spirit behind her, a hand on her hood. It tugged at it.

Alex frowned and shook her head, fingers arching over her forehead. She turned back to it, a big fake grin on her face.

"Look, when Sarah says "Don't leave the house"… what she actually means is "Don't leave the house _unprotected_." And since you're with me, you'll protect me! So there's no problem, right?"

The spirit stared at her, then reached three more hands out to hold onto the building.

"Aw, come onnnn!" Alex complained, struggling against the three hands holding her and the five gripping the wall. "I have to practice this spell outside! Argh! Bad Astral, bad Astral, let go!"

She stopped struggling, breathing hard, and looked back at the spirit, annoyed. "What if I said there's a cookie in this for you?"

The spirit let go too quickly, and Alex went flying.

"Gah!"

The spirit fussed around her as she started walking, looking through her purple messenger bag and the pockets of her white hoodie.

"Stoppit, I don't have it on me!" Alex said, shooing it away from her hair. It dropped behind her and sulked.

"I'll get you one later, settle down," she continued, holding her hands perpendicular to her collar bone. She brought them up to her lips and blew on them gently.

"Out of sight," she whispered, running them parallel to her face.

She disappeared.

"Stop fussing! What Sarah doesn't know won't hurt her."

"You don't know this?"

"Um, well," Sarah said meekly. "In-in theory?"

The woman in front of her stared, annoyance and concern fighting in her solid blood red eyes, brightly painted lips in a deep frown. "But this is so basic!"

"Sorry, I'm still learning all the ropes," Sarah said, voice small.

The woman raised a pale hand to her forehead, long, sharp, red nails banging against her glasses and messing up the parted bang in her brown, flipped-out bob. "Oh very well, I supposed I can take some time to explain."

She conjured up a thick, simple looking book. "So, as it clearly states in the Night Student Guidebook…" She flipped through. "Casting spells outside the classroom on school grounds is _forbidden_. Breaking this rule triggers a special ward that _marks_the caster… Like so." She pointed to symbol on the forehead of the African American girl sitting in the chair in front of them.

"It was an accident, I swear!" the girl cried. Her Astral floating next to her, trying to comfort her. The black closed-looking eye socket on the white side of its face turned toward her in unreadable concern, the black semicircle on its white cheek rubbing against her shoulder. The white eye on its black side stared at the older teacher in an indecipherable glare. The white circle between the two sides was nearly concealed by the white veil that covered it.

"That's what they always say," the woman said, holding the book out to Sarah. "Excuse #1 in the Night Teacher's Handbook. There's a Top Fifty list, see?"

"Ohhhh!" Sarah said quietly.

"And here!" the woman said, looking over at the African American boy, brunette girl with hair just past her shoulders and eyes like the woman's, and paler boy with spiky black hair sitting against the adjacent wall. "We have a _prime_example of students who just don't. Know. When to stop."

She smiled, getting an idea. She turned to Sarah quickly, her hair brushing against a pointed ear. "Ms. Treveney, I do believe this is also a case to be taken _straight_to the night principal's office."

"O-oh, can't we just…" Sarah started.

"And since you are new," the woman continued, "I will put forth the effort and do it_myself_…"

"Oh no no, that's all right," Sarah panicked, "I can…!"

"And let you deal with _this_one. A two-hour detention in the Gray Room should do."

The African American girl started.

"Now then, follow me! Time to learn your lesson!" the woman said to the three of them, all smiles.

The brunette put her hand on her forehead.

"Yes, ma'am," the African American boy grumbled. "Mrs. Witch, rhymes with–"

"O-ho-ho, looks like someone isn't in enough trouble already!" the woman said almost evilly. "I'll be _delighted_to fix that for you."

The four of them disappeared through the door that led to Madame Chen's office.

Sarah looked back at the girl.

"The Room?" the girl panicked. "Miss T, it really _was_an accident, I was just passing by and–"

"I believe you," Sarah interrupted. She held out her head and erased the mark on her forehead, a knuckle brushing against one of the girl's small, curly twin buns. The girl's eyes squeezed shut, emphasizing her long eyelashes. "No detention, but promise to be more careful, okay? And don't tell anyone… Or we'll both be in trouble. Mrs. Murrey will eat us or something." She tilted her head toward the door where the teacher had disappeared.

"So not a problem," the girl said, opening her eyes and shaking her head. She reached out to pet her Astral. "Thank you very much, Miss T. Do you need any help here?"

Sarah turned around and put the books up. "No, I'm all right, thank you. Also, isn't our class going on a field trip tonight?"

"Yes, ma'am! Twilight Lakes."

"Ah, great place. Waters deeper than time and colder than death," Sarah said thoughtfully. "Good spot for annoying some mermaids." She chuckled.

The girl giggled. "I better get back to class then," she said, walking toward the door. "Thanks again!"

"Anytime!" Sarah called back brightly. She watched her leave, then frowned slightly.

She walked over to her desk and plopped into her chair, face in her hand. "Wish Alex would go…" she said to herself. She sighed. "She better be studying."

The gate to the graveyard said "No Trespassing", but that didn't stop a mysterious set of footprints without a source from marching up to it.

"Aww, they fixed the hole!" Alex complained, reappearing.

"Hmm…" she muttered, looking at the wrought iron spikes on top. She looked at her Astral.

"Okay, let's try it," she said. Black wisps of substance wrapped around her.

She stepped back a bit, took a running start, and jumped right over the fence, the Astral still clinging to her.

She had almost landed when a loud _RRRIIP_snapped her out of it.

"Aw, man!" she complained, looking up at the torn messenger bag stuck on a spike, whose strap left her dangling a foot off the ground. She slipped out from it and tugged at the bag.

"Figures," she grumbled, "that's what I get for lik… for hating it."

She glanced back and saw her Astral looking away, guilty. "Heeey, this wasn't your fault," she said consolingly. She yanked the bag down, ignoring the giant tear in the bottom.

"It's me…" she said quietly, looking away. "I just… I need to get better. Stronger." She took a deep breath. "And I _will_be. Just you watch."

She looked at her Astral, a translucent white veil suddenly draped over her head.

"I will be the power that shapes the world."

The Astral hissed and slid back.

Alex blinked, surprised, the veil gone. "What was that?" she muttered, hand on her head. The Astral fussed over her. "I'm okay, I'm okay. What was I saying?"

She blinked, dazed. "Well, whatever, let's go." She started walking, slouching and dragging the torn bag behind her. "Sheesh, can I have more weird tonight, please? Hope no one got buried on my practice sight," she grumbled.

A short while later, Alex was crouching behind a gravestone, staring into the middle of the graveyard.

"Aw, come on!"

A human girl was standing in Alex's practice sight, glancing around quickly. She pulled the hood of her leather, short-sleeved mini-dress over her Rogue-style black hair, a gray-clad wrist brushing back a white strand of it.

"Damn straight I'll kick her out," Alex grumbled. "I've got homework to do… What's a human doing out here so late, anyway?"

The girl continued looking around, not quite nervous, chewing on her bottom, cherry red lip. She jumped, seeing the swirl of leaves, light, and shadow appearing to her right.

A blond teenaged boy appeared, the collar of his leather jacket blowing away from his white long sleeved shirt, which was blowing against his leather pants.

"Nicholas!" the girl exclaimed. "I thought you weren't going to make it!"

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," the boy said, leaning down toward her, a rose behind his back. "To be honest, I didn't think _you'd_come."

She put her hands on her hips. "Ha, you don't scare me!" she said, smiling.

"You had to wait," Nicholas said softly. He held the rose out to her and took her blushing face into his hands. "Let me… make it up to you." He leaned in closer and opened his mouth slightly, revealing a pair of fangs.

Alex gagged and turned away from the kissing couple. She glared in their general direction.

Her face brightened with an idea.

"Did I take it?…" she whispered to herself, rummaging through her bag. "Aha!"

She pulled out a notebook entitled, "vampires In Their Natural Habitat, an observational journal by Alexius Treveney" and a pair of binoculars. She opened the notebook on her knees and put the binoculars up to her eyes, smiling. She had a night speciology report to do.

_Crunch_

The three of them started.

Nicholas and the girl turned toward the source of the sound.

"Who's there?" he growled.

The fall leaves rustled and crunched until a silhouette appeared around the corner of a large tombstone.

A girl in her early teens staggered out, wavy blonde hair half-covering her face and glazed-over eyes, the blood from a deep wound on her neck dripping down and staining the top half of her shirt.

"H-help…" she whispered weakly.

"She's hurt!" the other girl cried, rushing toward her.

Nicholas watched, slightly exasperated.

"C-cold…" the blonde whispered.

The black-haired girl looked her over and turned back to Nicholas. "Nicholas, she's been bitten! Is she going to turn?"

"Huh… Hungry…"

"Uh," Nicholas said, raising an eyebrow at her. "She already _has_."

The blonde girl lunged at the human, shrieking, eyes wild.

The human gasped, closing her eyes.

Nicholas pushed the other vampire away before she could lay a hand on her.

"Hands off, newbie!" he growled. "This one's mine."

The newbie snarled and scratched across Nicholas's face, leaving five deep marks.

He pushed her back and punched her, causing her head to snap back.

"Observation Cycle II, Day 13," Alex jotted down, "vampires–still go for the jugular. Humans–still dumb as lampposts."

He sent her skidding back across the ground.

"I said back off!" He wiped at the blood on his face.

The other vampire pushed herself up, snarling. Her nails dug into the ground.

"Touch her and you're _dust_, you hear?" he growled.

"You two need some help killing each other?"

Nicholas turned toward the voice.

Teresa and Cassidy were standing behind them, flanked by the fair-haired Hunter and the African American girl.

"Because I'd volunteer," Teresa finished, a stake in each hand.

Alex stared from her hiding place.

She ducked back behind the tombstone, her notebook clutched to her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut.

_Hunters_.

She shoved the notebook into her bag, yanked it off the ground by the strap, and made a run for it.

She stopped too suddenly and fell, taken aback by the other three Hunters standing in front of her.

The girl with the braid and red make-up looked off to the side, watching the other four with the vampire.

"Told you there's someone here," the African American boy said.

"Not just someone," J said, smirking. "It's a little Weirn. With her Astral all showing, how cute."**  
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So, what do you think? If you like it, check out the manga, which makes it easier to visualize what I'm putting here. There are 4 volumes, each containing 6 chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

**Nightschool chapter 3**

"Well, well," Teresa said, grinning and ignoring the scowl on Nicholas's face. "If it isn't Mr. Will-Date-Anything-With-A-Pulse." She walked over to him, holding a stake against her cheek. "She your girlfriend or midnight snack?"

The girl in question had shrunk behind her boyfriend.

"Don't see her running, do you?" Nicholas asked through his teeth. "You Buffies need some glasses."

"You Nozzies need to get a tan!" Teresa shot back.

"Hey." Cassidy set a hand on her shoulder. "The treaty."

She stiffened and looked in the other direction, shrugging him off. "Well, no time for chitchat." She took a few steps away from them. "We're Hunting some _real_vampires."

"Reports of ripper maulings around here," Cassidy said, not looking at the vampire he was talking to. "Seen anything?"

Nicholas scowled deeper. "Go %$& yourself."

Cassidy looked at him, eyes calm. He turned away.

"I guess you don't want help when they're ripping your girl to pieces."

"I can take care of my own!"

"Who are rippers?" the human asked, eyes wide, voice small.

Nicholas glanced back at her, concern replacing his scowl.

He turned her around.

"We have to get out of here," he said, his hand still on her shoulder.

"Wait!" She looked back at the others. "What are they going to do to her?"

The new vampire blinked at Cassidy and Teresa, who were hovering over her.

"She must be new…" Teresa said thoughtfully. "She doesn't know to be afraid." She reached out a hand toward the girl.

"Do you want to find out… why you should be?"

The human jumped in front of her.

"Don't touch her!" she said too quickly.

Teresa raised her eyebrows and clicked her tongue. "Girl, you still here? Scoot on home before you're someone's _dinner_."

"What's your problem?" the other girl yelled.

Teresa stared blankly. "My problem?"

The girl struggled for words. "I… I know who you are! Big frigging deal! Being the law doesn't give you the excuse to be a bitch!"

Her hands flew up to cover her mouth, her eyes wide.

Teresa glared, one eye twitching. "_What_did you just call me…?"

"Oh, here we go again," Cassidy muttered from behind her.

"I-I… well…" the girl started, voice shaky.

She frowned, suddenly taken over by a surge of determination.

"You heard me!" the self-proclaimed vampire rights activist snapped. "And don't try to scare me, I know you can't do anything because I'm human!"

Teresa tightened her grip on her stakes. "No, no, no," she said, grinning crazily. "I'm not_supposed_ to. _Big_ difference from _can't_. There are loopholes I can drive a _truck_through, okay?"

"They aren't breaking any treaty laws, so leave them alone!" the girl yelled back at her.

"This one tried to bite you, hello?" Teresa pointed at the vampire girl, who was still sitting on the ground next to them and staring at the human, drooling.

"She can't help it, she's hungry!" the girl said.

The African American girl and Cassidy sighed in unison, knowing that they wouldn't stop for a while.

"Did you leave your basic survival instincts somewhere?" Teresa yelled at her. "What's wrong with you?"

"Ten?" Cassidy said.

"Yeah?" the African American girl asked, not looking at him.

"Jaq and me are gonna finish the sweep," he said. "You watch things here, 'kay?"

Ten blinked and looked at him. "Wait, what?"

The other two had already fled.

"Hey, why am I stuck dealing with the catfight?" she yelled after them.

She turned to Nicholas. "You going to do anything or what?"

"Are you crazy?" he scoffed. "I'm not getting in the middle of that."

Ten sighed. "_Great_. Extra endurance testing today, I see." She looked away from the still-arguing older girls.

"And let me tell you–" Teresa continued.

"No, let me tell you!" the girl interrupted.

"Hey! Shut it and listen!" the Hunter threw back at her. "You don't have a clue! What, you think this is real darkness you're dating? This redblood? You have no idea what a real vampire is."

Ten blinked and squinted at the silhouette forming to the left of the feuding pair.

Two chalky skinned, almost ghostly-looking figures appeared, eyes glowing white in sockets of black.

Ten inhaled sharply, fear appearing in her eyes.

"Rippers!" she yelled back at the others.

By the time they'd turned around, the younger Hunter already had two spiked chains out and was running toward the pair of vampires gone wrong.

She whipped the chains toward the pair, lunging at them.

The chains wrapped around the two, and her foot hit one of them in its overgrown jaw.

She stepped up on its chalky face and jumped off, chains tightening in her hands.

She skidded to a stop on the wet grass and turned around.

"Teresa!" she yelled.

"On it!" the Hispanic girl said, charging at them.

She jumped up, stakes at her side, and slipped in between them, one stake landing in one's neck, the other in the second's chest.

She skidded to a stop next to Ten, both girls watching as the rippers tore the stakes out of themselves and dove straight through the ground, leaving Teresa's stakes and Ten's chains behind.

The girls froze.

"They're going for the girl!" Teresa realized, whipping around toward the human, who was still behind Nicholas.

The girl stared at her, not understanding until a pair of claws reached up at her from underneath.

The rippers sprung up, one holding Nicholas back, the other going for the girl's neck.

Nicholas managed to put his hand in front of her neck so the ripper bit down on it instead.

It opened its mouth, revealing a heavily bleeding wound deep enough to show bone.

One of its claws scratched out at the vampire's neck, making his head snap back and letting him go flying.

"Hey, dustbreath."

The rippers turned to see all four Hunters, ready to attack.

"You are hereby charged with breaking the treaty," Cassidy finished.

"Go!" Teresa snapped at the others.

She and Cassidy tackled the two of them, and it became a blur of weapons.

Cassidy plunged wood into anything he could see. Teresa sliced out with her daggers. Ten whipped her chains around them, the spiked ends cutting through. Jaq was the only one unarmed, simply punching and kicking anything the others didn't get.

The human moved her arms away from her face and looked back at the Hunters, still shaking.

Ten was kneeling on the ground. Cassidy and Teresa were hovering over her, and Jaq stood off to the side.

"Get the other hand," Ten said to the leaders.

Teresa looked up and saw the girl looking at them, shaking like a leaf.

"So, want to see a real vampire?" Teresa asked. She gestured to the broken bodies on the ground. "Rippers. Nothing but ash, darkness, and bloodlust. They can't even talk anymore. Can't breathe, can't eat, can't even die properly. It's not even blood they want…" She looked down at the heavily bleeding scratch on her hand. "It's life. A taste, any taste… of what they once had." The cut stopped bleeding. She gently stroked the quickly healing wound. "Your boyfriend's future. If he still has one."

"Nicholas!" the girl cried, running off. She spotted him sprawled unconscious on the ground several feet away. "Nic…!"

She knelt down and left up his deeply scratched face, tears pouring out. "Ohgod, ohgod."

"We take them with or leave 'em?" Ten asked.

"Tag a guard circle and leave them leave them for the sun," Cassidy said.

Teresa started walking away but paused, seeing the new vampire huddled a few feet away from the group.

She walked over and knelt down next to her, waving her hand in front of her glazed-over eyes.

"Wow, way deep under," Teresa muttered. "Guess this was her first show." She thought a moment. "Never seen a Hunter, never seen a ripper… huh. If she's _that_new, then maybe…" She pulled a compact from her pocket and held the mirror in front of the girl.

"Reflection?" Cassidy asked.

Teresa smiled a bit. "Yep. Can take her to Mona's, she'll fix her up." She snapped the compact shut. "Hey, girl. Good news. You can have your life back. Want it?"

Cassidy looked over at the human, who was holding Nicholas's head to herself.

Cassidy walked over and knelt down next to her. "Can you turn his head toward me?"

She looked at him, distrusting, her mascara running down her cheeks.

"Just want to check on him," he said gently. "I can't touch him. So you have to do it."

"Damn straight he can't touch me," Nicholas said weakly. "%$#&ing _kill_him if he does."

Cassidy blinked. "…It is my professional opinion that he'll be just fine."

"Nicholas!" the girl cried. She squeezed him to her chest hard enough for an audible_crunch_to be heard.

"OW!" the vampire yelled.

"Sorry, sorry!" she apologized quickly.

Cassidy stood up and walked back toward the rest of the group. "Okay, Hunters, sound off."

"Nozzie noob – ready to go and willing to look at her options," Teresa said, her arm around the blonde, who was now wearing her coat. The vampire blinked, dazed and confused.

"Rippers – all camped out and not leaving," Ten said, kneeling next to the chalky remains. She shook a can of spray paint and popped a bubble in her gum.

Cassidy turned toward the only person who hadn't spoken. Jaq was looking off at where the others had disappeared to.

"Jaq?" Cassidy asked. "How're Terrence and the others? Did they find anyone there?"

The other Hunter was silent a moment.

"Something's wrong."

The other three Hunters were sprawled on the ground, eyes closed, not moving.


	4. Chapter 4

**Nightschool chapter 4**

Alex slammed the door behind her, gasping for breath. Her knees buckled under her and she slid down against the door, her Astral hovering protectively over her.

"W-what… happened?" Alex said to herself, her hand on her head. "How did I get home…?"

Teresa, Cassidy, Ten, and Jaq ran toward the three other Hunters.

Teresa knelt down beside the girl and put her hand on her neck.

"Not dead," she said after a moment.

"But just barely breathing," Cassidy said, kneeling next to the African American boy.

Jaq lifted J's head off the ground and shook him, more than gently. Ten stood over them and stared, gaping slightly, eyes wide. The vampire girl stood behind her, uncomprehending.

"Whatever happened, happened _fast_," Cassidy continued. "No struggle, or we'd've felt it."

He and Teresa both looked at the footprints that lead out.

"Let's _go_," she said, starting to get up.

"Wait!"

She turned toward Cassidy.

"We can't," he said. "Not right now." He looked back at Jaq, who was propping J up, stone-faced. "We have no idea what's wrong with them. Need to get them to St. Luc's, get help." He looked at the vampire, who still looked like she didn't understand the situation. "And look after her. She still has a chance."

"Trail's gonna get _cold_," Teresa insisted.

"I know. But also…" he started. "J's a lightweight, okay. But whatever that thing was, it took out _Terrance_." He looked at the African American boy. "And Noh." He looked at the girl. "Without even a fight. This is out of our league. We have to tell the old man."

"I can't remember," Alex said to herself. "Four Hunters, I _saw_them. Did they see me…?" She shook her head. "No, no. I was hidden. And far. And they were busy with the vampire missing link and his girlfriends. I grabbed my bag, ran, and…" She paused. "And then what?"

She searched her mind.

Three fuzzy silhouettes, two of them saying something she couldn't make out…

Shhh.

She sighed. "Ugh. Nothing. I must've been so freaked, I blanked out all the way here."

Her Astral tugged on her sleeve.

"What?"

It held a tissue above its head and pointed at it.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "I don't get it. Trying out a new look or something?"

The Astral dropped the tissue and folded its arms across its make-shift chest.

"Or maybe not, heh." Alex shrugged and smiled a bit. "Well, all's well that ends well, right? Narrowly escaping danger, kinda exciting, huh?"

The Astral looked at her meaningfully.

"I can't tell Sarah, are you kidding?" Alex exclaimed. "She'll ground me for life!" She paused, then looked at it, eyes narrowed. "How many cookies to keep you quiet?"

It thought a moment, then held up five fingers.

"Deal." Alex got up and started walking, unzipping her jacket. "I might as well make a new batch. Could use some too… Can't believe I almost ran into Hunters face-to-face, urgh."

The Astral tugged on her sleeve. She turned to it.

It held up eight fingers.

Alex's mouth dropped open.

"What? You are not getting eight cookies, you'll get sick! I'd rather deal with Sarah being mad!"

Sarah sneezed hard.

"Are you feeling under the weather, Miss Keeper?" the handsome man standing in front of her asked, one hand holding a lacy handkerchief out to her, the other brushing a strand of wavy blond hair out of his eyes.

She took the handkerchief and sniffled, an eyebrow raised. "No, I am allergic to vampires hitting on me."

"Now, now," he said, putting an arm around her waist and smiling wide enough to reveal a pair of fangs. "All I asked was if I could interest you in dinner."

"Oh, dinner, sure!" Sarah said, amused. "The one involving my neck, right? All you vampire want the same thing."

"Maybe I am different," he said, looking at her neck.

"My face is up here, Mr. Kristepher," Sarah said, pointing up.

"Ahhh, the beautiful face of an angel, the promise of redemption for this tortured soul," he continued, not looking up.

"You are still talking to my neck, Lars," Sarah said, smiling. "Also, soul, what…?"

"Mr. Kristepher!"

The two of them turned, surprised.

"Don't you have a class to teach?" the night principal continued.

He did.

He sighed. "Alas, cruel fate cuts short our tryst…"

Sarah giggled.

"Until we meet again, sweet angel of the night," he said, disappearing in a whirlwind of light and shadow.

"See you at lunch, heartthrob," Sarah said, smiling.

The principal walked closer to the keeper, suddenly dwarfed by the keeper's not-quite-impressive-but-slightly-more-than-average height. "Are you two… friends?" she asked suspiciously.

"Yes, ma'am, Madame Chen!" Sarah said, smiling, the other woman's tone not getting through to her. "We went to college together."

"But not dating?" Madam Chen asked, taking a sip out of her ever-present coffee cup.

"Oh no, no!" Sarah said, all smiles. "Workplace dating = can of worms, I know. And he's not really my type."

"Oh good…" the older, if noticeably shorter woman said. "I'd hate to fire you, you've been ever so wonderful here."

Sarah pulled back, eyes wide and moderately terrified.

"So, I must agree with Mrs. Hatcher's note wholeheartedly!" Madame Chen said, taking another sip. "You've done impressive work in your short time here."

_Raise?_Sarah thought hopefully.

"I can't give you a raise," the older woman said quickly, as if sensing her thoughts.

Sarah blinked, surprised at the precision.

"I can, however, see about the club budgets!" Madame Chen said, smiling.

She pulled out a sheet of paper. "Exactly how many have you, erm, started, let's see… amin/mehnga?"

"Anime manga," Sarah corrected brightly.

"I see, I see," the principal said. "A writer's group, a Midnight News Daily–oh, a student newsletter, that should be fun!"

She stopped suddenly, seeing the next one on the list.

She turned toward Sarah. "A "Vampires Suck" club…?"

"That one wasn't my idea, it was Lars!" the keeper said quickly. "I-it's to help promote a positive counter to the negative stereotype of vampires in our society."

"Oh, Lars is the last person who should be doing that," Madame Chen said, chuckling and walking again. Sarah sighed with relief. "I will need to have a talk with that man."

"Oh! Do you mind have one with Mr. Roi, as well…?" Sarah asked.

"Uh-oh, what's he done now?" Madame Chen asked, turning back toward her.

"H-his… His class presentations–" Sarah started.

She was interrupted by a loud _RUMBLE_.

The cement underneath their feet cracked.

"He _didn't_," Madame Chen said, dropping her mug, eyes wide.

"Ah!" Sarah cried, clutching her head. "Oh no, not the floors! The daytime keeper is going to kill me!"

Madame Chen's hands clenched into fists. "He's opening dimensional portals indoors! Again!" She put one hand on her hip, the other pointing an accusing finger nowhere in particular. She looked so enraged, Sarah could've sworn she was literally encased in blue flame. "THAT MAN NEEDS A REMINDER THAT THIS IS A RENTED PROPERTY AND NOT HIS PERSONAL LAB THAT HE CAN BLOW UP TO SMITHEREENS WHENEVER HE LIKES!"

"Yes, yes!" Sarah agreed, smiling and nodding vigorously.

"You go right ahead and tell him I said that," Madame Chen said, setting a hand on the keeper's shoulder. "I have a committee meeting now."

The principal dashed off. "And be nice!" she yelled back. "We're so lucky he's teaching here!"

"Don't make me go alone…" Sarah whimpered, a hand still reaching out in the direction the other woman had disappeared in.

She frowned, suddenly overcome with wrath toward the teacher.

She started stomping toward his classroom. "Okay," she said to herself. "I can do this. I will tell him off once and for all! Who does he think he is?"

She took a short stop by the bathroom mirror.

"Does my hair look okay?" she thought out loud, blushing slightly and trying to fix it.

She could see the echoes of light and shadow coming from the room in question halfway down the hall. She stepped in against her instinct to make a run for it, making sure to step over the holes in the floor and looked at the silhouettes of students, anything else concealed by the light emanating from above, the only other source of darkness being the symbols swirling in the brightness.

She walked up to an African American girl scribbling in a notepad, her shoulder-length, thin braids swirling in the wind.

"Hi, Ronee," the keeper said.

The girl looked back, amber eyes seeming to glow in the white light.

"Hello, Miss T," she said. "Any news on the yearbook?"

"I am _this_close to convincing Madame Chen," Sarah said, holding her fingers a centimeter apart. "Come see me after your class, okay?" She glanced around. "Is, um. Where's Mr. Roi?"

Ronee pointed up.

Sarah looked and saw a giant hole in the ceiling, a figure floating above it in the middle of the whirlwind.

"Should I be seeing the sky in here?" Sarah exclaimed.

"Not usually, no," Ronee said, smiling.

"Mr. Roi!" Sarah yelled up. "Mr. Roi, please stop this presentation immediately! Mr. Roi, do you hear me? Mr. R…"

The man in the center of the storm looked down and smiled slightly, seeing the keeper standing in the midst of the swirl of light and symbols.

"Ah," he said, making her blush deeply. "Hello, Miss Keeper. I am in the middle of a lesson. Is this urgent?"

She frowned, one eye twitching.

"You are wrecking the school!" she yelled up at him, her hands balling into fists. "Disrupting other classes! Are you trying to make me lose my job?"

He stared down at the angrily flailing woman, not able to make out a word she was saying.

"One moment, Miss Treveney, your voice is not carrying in all of this." He snapped his fingers.

"Restore."

The classroom returned to its previous pristine condition.

"Aw crap, I didn't get that last pattern," one of the students grumbled to another. "Do you have it?"

Mr. Roi brushed off his hands, then ran one through his unkempt, short black hair. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"U-uh. Umm," Sarah started, blushing again. "Do you… I have… A message! From Madame Chen! …A rented property… Not personal lab…"

The smile melted off of his face.

"Smithereens…"

He turned away.

"Please?" Sarah finished meekly.

Mr. Roi flexed his hand, not turning back to her. "One: if Madame Chen has something to say to me, I encourage personal contact in the future. Two: These premises are inadequate for my lectures. As long as I am to suffer these ill teaching accommodations… the ill teaching accommodations are to suffer _me_. Good night."

Sarah found herself being swept outside, the door slamming in her face.

She fumed.

She leaned in toward the door, pulled her bottom eyelid down, and stuck her tongue out.

The door opened.

"Oh, one other thing, Miss Treve…"

She froze, wide-eyed. Mr. Roi stared at her.

"You know, it really can get stuck that way," he said a moment later.

She dashed off. "Please stop wrecking the school, thank yooooouuuuu!" she yelled over her shoulder.

He watched her a moment, then smiled a bit.

Several more small disasters later, Sarah dragged herself into her office.

"Ugh, all the crazy is loose tonight," she muttered.

She walked over to her desk, patting the ash off her shoulders, having literally put out fires.

She plopped down in her chair, shuffled through a stack of papers on her desk, put them down, and enjoyed a brief moment of peace.

She thought a moment, smiled mischievously, and pulled a paperback out of the desk drawer.

"Hello," a voice said from behind her as soon as she picked it up.

She jumped and whipped around.

Ronee was standing a few feet into the room, an Astral behind her. The wisps it was made up of were tightly wound, almost curly, and its mask of a face resembled a gray-toned traditional Mardi Gras mask around the arched-up, slightly rectangular eye sockets, with a thin line under it forming the basic shape of a jaw.

On her right was a red-haired girl, only the outline of her eyes visible under her hair, another Astral wound around her outstretched arm. Its face was a simple circle with a slight point on the bottom. A good portion of the sides of the circle were white and the center, which was left in the shape of a funnel, gray, with a thin black counter-clockwise spiral hanging from the top.

On Ronee's left was a vaguely masculine figure with short blue hair, black swirls tattooed around the neck, and solid red eyes like Mrs. Murrey's.

"You said you wanted to see me?" Ronee finished.

"How did you get in here?" Sarah said, surprised. "So quietly…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Nightschool chapter 5**

"Want to see you, yes!" Sarah found the words she was desperately searching for, blushing lightly. "I did, I did say that." She stuffed the paperback back into the drawer. "The yearbook, right."

"Do you really think you can talk Madame Chen into it?" Ronee asked. "She's turned us down cold both times before."

"I have a cunning plan," Sarah declared, grinning. "Her main problem with the yearbook–besides money concerns–is that vampires don't photograph, right? At all. So they'd feel excluded from the photo portions of the book."

"I'd be up to my neck in disgruntled sires and parents!" Madame Chen had said.

Ronee nodded. "Yes, that's the reason she gave me. What's your solution?"

Sarah summoned a folded sheet of paper, looking proud of herself. She unfolded it to reveal a very well-drawn picture of Nicholas, leather jacket and all, leaning back casually, arms across his chest. "Drawn portraits. The art club volunteered their best artists for this. I already talked to them."

Ronee took it, the other two looking over her shoulder. "This…"

The red-haired girl took it from her.

"Heeey, is that Nicholas?" the blue-haired teen asked, chuckling.

"Ha-ha, it totally is!" the redheaded Weirn said. "The attitude is dead on. He's cutting school tonight."

"And if they don't like the drawings?" Ronee asked the keeper.

"They have the option of providing their own!" she answered, smiling.

Ronee thought a moment. "Clubs, working together, vampires getting socially involved, for once–this is clever on so many levels. There is no way she will say no."

She took the paper back from the other Weirn and placed it on Sarah's desk. "Miss Treveney."

Sarah looked up at her.

"You are new, so you may not know this. At the student level… I run this school." She turned away, looking at the keeper over her shoulder. "Get us the yearbook… and you'll never have to worry about anything from the students here."

Sarah blinked.

Ronee put a hand on the doorknob, the other two behind her. "We'll be in touch."

Sarah stared, then thought a moment.

"Ronee!" she called out the door a moment later, looking at the trio a few yards away. "I-if I get you the yearbook, can you do something about Mr. Roi, too?"

Ronee looked back at her for a moment.

"Mr. Roi does not obey any known laws of our universe," she said, turning back around.

"Awww…" Sarah muttered. "Dangit."

"It's true…" the redhead said, smiling.

"He looks hot doing it, too," the blue-haired student said, smiling, too, and blushing slightly.

A shorter, fair-haired student bumped into the blue-haired teen's shoulder, books clutched by arms wearing a pair of long, black leather gloves that matched the student's small, bat-like wings and baggy black pants.

"Hey, watch it," the blue-haired teen said.

The shorter student whispered something and slipped past them, eyes completely concealed by shoulder length, wavy hair. The student walked past Sarah's office, glanced back, saw they were out of sight, walked back over to it, and looked through the window.

Sarah mumbled to herself, rummaging through her purse.

"Aha!" she said, pulling out a compact. She flipped it open.

"Open," she said.

The mirror was taken over by white swirls that parted to reveal a dark-skinned woman with chin-length, platinum blonde hair, solid red eyes, short black horns and claw-like hands.

"Operator," she said.

"Um, hello!" Sarah said. "How are you? I would like to place a call."

"Name and location?" the operator asked.

"New York City, Queens, line crossing 234-Delta Hellgate area."

"And the name?"

"Oh, sorry! Alex, Alexius Treveney."

"Opening a line, please hold." The operator held a small strand of light on one claw and slid it to another of the hundreds of mirrors floating around her.

Sarah's compact blinked, and Alex's face appeared.

"Hello?" Alex asked, surprised.

"Hey, hon!" Sarah said brightly. "Just checking in to see how you're doing!"

"Oh, fine, fine," Alex said, a big, fake, desperate smile on her face. "Doing great!"

She was distracted by a loud _CRASH_.

She turned around. "Hey, stop that!" she yelled at the Astral scratching the wall behind her.

"Is-is everything alright?" Sarah asked.

Alex whipped back toward the mirror on the kitchen table. "Yes! Everything's perfectly fi–"

"Aaaalex?" Sarah insisted, eyebrows raised, amused.

"I-it's nothing!"

Alex looked at the papers being flung at her.

The Astral flitted around the room, tossing books on the ground, scratching at the walls, flinging papers up in the air, and messing up her hair.

"Well, maybe something," Alex said miserably. "Like, a little something."

"Alex, did you overfeed her again?" Sarah asked.

"I didn't mean to!" Alex insisted, trying to pry her Astral from around her neck. "I made a new cookie batch and she liked them so much, I…"

"Oh, Alex…" Sarah said, smiling warmly at her younger sister through the mirror, face held in her hand. "You act so tough, but you're such a softie, I swear."

"Y-yes, softie, that's me. Er…" Alex said, watching the Astral try to braid her hair.

"Well, no worries," Sarah said. "I think we still have some Snakol."

"We do?" Alex said, perking up.

"Yeah, on top of the shelf to your right, I think? Just give her a couple of spoons, she'll be alright. Oh, I think someone's at the door. Gotta go! See you in the morning."

"See ya!" Alex said, getting up and walking over to the shelf.

The mirror blinked off.

Alex held her hand up and a corked glass vial, half-full of black, oily-looking liquid flew into her hand.

She looked down at the paper tied to the lip of the vial by a piece of twine.

"Snakol*  
>Ingredients:<br>dried newt eyeballs  
>beetle juice<br>vegetables  
>snake oil<br>really foul-tasting mushroom

(*may contain peanuts)"

Alex stuck her tongue out, disgusted. She turned to the Astral, grinning desperately. "Mmmmm, delicious!"

The Astral started and dashed off.

"Hey, come back here!" Alex yelled.

She chased the speedy spirit around the room.

Sarah opened the door to her office. "Oh, hello!" she said to the small, fair-haired student standing outside.

The student looked up, startled, hair still not letting the bat-winged teen's eyes show.

"Are you lost?" Sarah asked. "Do you need something?"

The student pointed to the left, looking down again, and whispered something. The gloved arm quickly returned to clutch the pile of books to the student's gray, short-sleeved hoodie.

"In the west wing…?" Sarah asked. "Let's check it out."

A few minutes later, the pair was walking down a flight of darkened stairs, the way only illuminated by the small flame floating above Sarah's hand.

They stopped in front of a doorway opened in the middle of the floor of the dark hallway. Sarah checked the map in her other hand.

"Oh, this hallway isn't even in use tonight…" the keeper said. "This definitely shouldn't be here." She looked over her shoulder at the young-looking student. "Wait here, I'll check it out and be right back, okay?"

The student nodded.

"Hello?" Sarah called down the portal, the light now floating behind her. "Is there someone here?" She started down the stairway, the light staying just above ground. "You have to keep you presentations to the east wing tonight, please!" Her head disappeared down the stairway. "Hellooooo!"

The door to the portal creaked, shut, and sealed into the hallway floor.

"It's done."

The student turned slowly and walked away, leaving the hallway seemingly abandoned but for the fizzling light floating above where Sarah had disappeared.

"I am sorry, she is in a committee meeting right now," the secretary in the main office said to the mirror in front of her, one dark-skinned, claw-like hand holding a small notebook, the other a pen. "Would you like to leave a message?"

"Agreed, then?" one of the dozen of mirrors floating around Madame Chen's desk asked.

"No objection here," the night principal said, taking a sip of coffee.

"Good with me, too. Anything else on the agenda?" another mirror asked.

"I think that's it, actually," another said.

"Oh, finally," a fourth sighed, relieved.

"Haven't had lunch yet…" the second said. "Oh, Sue…"

Madame Chen looked up from the pen scribbling on a floating notepad.

"Did you ever find a night keeper replacement?" the mirror finished.

Madame Chen smiled, eyes closed, looking proud of herself. "Yes, we did! She's new, but she's a gem."

"Oh? What's the name?"

"It's…" Madame Chen started. Her eyes opened. She frowned, looking away.

"Uh, we…" she said, "we don't _have_a new night keeper. Why did I say we…?"

"Well, I have a recommendation. I'll send it over."

"Er, yes, thank you," Madame Chen said, eyes glazing over in thought.

"This meeting is adjourned. Back into the breach, guys!"

The mirrors blinked off and floated back to Madame Chen's wall, the night principal staring blankly.

She poked her head out of her office. "Shelly, do we have a night keeper?" she asked the secretary.

Shelly shrugged, one fleshy hand running through her fizzy, almost-white hair. "Not since you fired the last one a month ago. Really need one, though.

"Huh," Madame Chen muttered, slipping back into her office. "I was so _sure_. Hm."

She summoned a stack of paper and flipped through it. "Well, there is definitely a contract. It must have a name."

She found the signature, the name Sarah Treveney fading before her eyes.

"It's blank?" she asked.

The vague image of a smiling, short-haired young woman popped into her head, evaporating even as she thought about it.

She blinked. "Why was I looking at this again?"

She thought for a brief moment.

"Oh, that's right, we need a new night keeper."

Ronee eased the door of Sarah's office open and poked her head in. She took in the abandoned desk, the only things still on being Sarah's purse and the computer.

She stared a moment, then looked away, frowning.

She flicked the light off, closing the door behind her as she slipped back out.

Alex glared at the Astral now dozing on the couch.

"No more cookies for you, ever, ever, _ever_…" she grumbled, cleaning up the mess the spirit had left in her wake.

"Phew," she said, wiping the sweat off her forehead. She looked around the now-pristine room, smiling to herself.

"Probably _too_clean," she muttered, still smiling. "Sarah will just mess it up again."

The picture one of the lower bookshelves tipped over, landing facedown.

Alex turned around, surprised. She walked over and lifted it up, studying the picture of her and Sarah, the older sister's arm around her, laughing, the younger looking insecure.

A sudden wind blew through the apartment, blowing sheets of papers around the girl, who looked around nervously until she heard a _crack_.

She looked back at the photo, the glass now cracked between the two of them.

The older girl faded, then disappeared, leaving only Alex in the picture.

The girl stared, alarmed.

_Sarah_?


	6. Chapter 6

**Nightschool chapter 6**

The Hunters walked up to one of the gray stone walls of the old, seemingly abandoned church, Teresa leading the way.

Cassidy and Ten held Terrance between them. Teresa had Noh draped over her shoulder, and Jaq was carrying J the same way.

Teresa walked up to a sealed-over doorway and fumbled for a dagger. She cut across her right palm, not letting Noh fall, and slid her bleeding hand across the stone.

"Passage," she said.

The blocks of stone scraped and fell away. A figure wearing all white, an opaque white veil covering their head, holding an oil lamp, stepped out from the shadow.

"Welcome, blood of Eden. Granting you passage." The figure looked at the vampire lingering on the fringes of the group. "But not to this one."

"She still has a reflection," Cassidy explained. "Is Mona around today?"

The figure was silent for a moment. "Go. I will look after her."

"Thank you, taker," Teresa said.

"Wh–what…" the vampire asked.

"It's alright," Ten said. Cassidy slipped Terrance's arm from around her. "This is a friend. Go with her, she'll tell you what you need to know." The four conscious Hunters started through the passage.

"Good luck," Ten said over her shoulder. "Stay away from bad places."

The passage re-sealed behind them. The vampire blinked, confused.

The taker took the veil off, revealing a careworn face framed by messy, short brown hair.

"Hi there," the taker said, smiling. "I am Mona. What's your name?"

The vampire blinked again, trying to understand.

"Oh, you _are_new," Mona said. "Still not used to the quiet being so loud, huh?"

She put her arm around the girl and lead her off. "It's alright, we'll fix you up."

The four of them walked through the tent-cluttered, expansive church, looking around at the other injured Hunters.

Teresa looked over and saw a boy with a black creature clinging to his shoulder.

"Argh! I'm telling you, damn thing came of nowhere!" the boy insisted, flinching in pain.

"Hold still," the taker behind him said, pouring something on the creature that made a hissing sound when it hit.

"Yeah, Taka, that's what you always say," the girl standing next to him said, laughing and playing with one of her two short braids.

Cassidy looked over and saw a short-haired girl sitting down, covering her bleeding eyes.

"She triggered a spelltrap," the ponytailed woman standing behind her said, her arms folded over the strap that tied a sword to her back. "Pretty old by the looks of it."

"Well-crafted one, too," the taker standing in front of the girl said. "She'll be blind for several days, I'm afraid."

"We need to find an empty one," Cassidy said.

"Looking," Teresa muttered, glancing around.

She lifted a tarp and looked into the tent to find a scruffy-haired man sitting by one of the six beds, staring down at a boy's body, the face covered by a white sheet.

He looked up at her, his eyes glazed over.

She stayed, looking at him for a moment, sympathy clouding her eyes.

"Can I help you?" a taker behind her asked.

She snapped out of it and looked back.

"Hey, Rese, over here," Cassidy said, waving her over.

A moment later, Terrance and Noh were laying on two of the cots, and Jaq was setting J on a third.

"What's wrong with them?" Teresa asked the taker that stood between her and Cassidy.

The taker walked over to Terrance, studied him for a moment, and turned back to them.

"I do not recognize this condition. Who was the attacker?"

"We… don't know," Cassidy admitted, looking away.

"Can't you do something?" Ten cried.

The taker turned to her. "There is nothing I can take here. No spells, no injuries. They are feeling no pain." The taker turned to look at Noh. "They are not feeling anything, in fact. Hey are not dead… but they are not alive, either. They–" The taker turned around.

Daemon walked in.

"Teacher!" Teresa said. "How–?"

Marina peeked out from behind him.

Teresa rushed over to her. "Mar! Are you back?"

Marina nodded.

Daemon looked at the three unconscious Hunters, then turned back to the two he'd left in charge.

"Explain."

Alex shuffled through the pile of photographs on the table.

"No, no, no…" she muttered. "She's gone from all of them…"

"Thank you for holding," the mirror behind her said.

"Yes?" Alex cried, whipping around.

"I am sorry, but this person is not on any of our connection lists."

"That's impossible!" Alex exclaimed. "I talked to her just an hour ago! Are you calling the name right? Sarah, Sarah Treveney."

"That's what you said the last three times, yes, and I triple-checked. This person does not exist. Good night."

The mirror blinked off.

"What is this?" Alex muttered. She brushed her bangs back. "I _just_talked to her."

She sorted back through the pictures, then realized her best bet.

She looked away, frowning.

"The school."

She took her jacket off of its hook, put it on, grabbed her bag, and stepped through the portal, her Astral following.

Daemon, Teresa, Cassidy, and Marina walked back through the graveyard to where they'd found J, Noh, and Terrance. Daemon looked at the set of footsteps that marked the path of the attacker.

"Whose decision was it to retreat instead of Hunt?" he asked.

"Mine, sir," Cassidy confessed after a moment.

"Teresa?" Daemon asked.

"I wanted to Hunt," she said.

Daemon was silent a moment. "Cassidy, excellent call. Teresa?"

"Y-yes?" she asked, gaze moving from Cassidy to the teacher.

"Send a double," he said.

She raised an eyebrow, but complied.

She took out a dagger, cut off a small piece of hair, a couple of inches long, and blew it off of her hand.

The piece of hair slowly formed a copy of Teresa.

The double looked back. Teresa gesture for it to walk forward.

It took a few steps until its foot landed next to one of the footprints, which glowed black with a symbol that looked almost like an eight, white lines like trip wires appearing above it.

Black roots erupted out of the ground, piercing through the double's body.

Teresa hunched over in pain. Cassidy stared at the double.

Its body hissed and fell to the ground, blinking back into a piece of dark hair.

Teresa gasped, clutching her abdomen.

Daemon set a hand on her shoulder. "Steady. Deep breaths."

"Laying spelltraps is illegal now!" Teresa managed.

Daemon moved his hand back to his side. "Yes. For all _that's_worth to the night."

"Dammit…" Teresa muttered.

"Are you okay?" Cassidy asked, moving to put a hand on her back.

"I'm FINE!" she snapped, swatting his hand away.

He moved back, surprised. His glasses clouded over, making his expression unreadable.

He turned away.

Teresa looked at him, regretful. She smiled a bit, sadly.

"See anything?" Daemon asked Marina.

She looked away, eyes gazing over. "Yes."

She saw a figure shrouded in white. It turned toward her, revealing a young, feminine face frame by short white hair, a smile the only feature.

"It's her," Marina whispered. "She… s-she took… time from them. As a warning to us."

"How much?" Daemon asked.

"I can't… I don't know." She thought deeply, frowning, the bags under her eyes growing deeper. "Hours. Days…? Maybe their whole lives."

Cassidy and Teresa stared, alarmed.

"Right," Daemon said, flexing his fingers. "That's definitely something we'll be wanting back."

Alex slipped through the other side of the portal and entered the darkened school hallway.

"The lights aren't on?" she thought out loud.

She looked around and started walking, her Astral floating beside her.

"School should still be in session, it's barely midnight…" she muttered. A pool of black slid behind her on the floor, reaching out toward her.

"Hello?" She stopped walking. "Is this the right place?" She looked around. "Can't even see anything…"

She held out her hand. "Light."

A ball of flame appeared, floating above her hand, illuminating the oily black substance surrounding her, reaching up toward her.

"What?" Alex asked, staring at it.

It wrapped around them.

Alex screamed, stuck in place by the web.

"Well, well, well," a figure walking toward them said, eyes glowing white. The figure grinned, revealing sharp teeth.

"Who have we here?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Nightschool chapter 7**

"What the?" Alex asked, wide-eyed, not able to see the glowing symbol on her forehead.

"Light." Mrs. Murrey took off her glasses and squinted at Alex. "Who do we have here?"

She put her glasses back on and knelt down so she was level with the tied-up girl. "Are you a student here? Where is your nightpass?"

"Um, no," Alex said, confused. "I'm-I'm looking for my sister? Sarah Treveney? She's the night keeper here?"

Mrs. Murrey looked away, thinking. "Sarah Tweeny, Sarah Tweeny…"

"Treveney!" Alex repeated.

"No, I don't know anyone by that name," Mrs. Murrey said. "And we haven't had a night keeper for a month. Which is why I am forced to make the rounds _myself_, of all the…" She clapped twice. "Clarice, release them."

The black creature let go, letting Alex fall two feet, her Astral swooping to catch her.

"Trespassing on school grounds without a nightpass…" the teacher said, thinking. "Casting spells without teacher supervision… I suppose I can't give you detention if you are not a student…" She turned away. "But I'm sure I could get this on your record_somehow_…"  
>Alex stiffened.<p>

Mrs. Murrey smiled evilly. "Madam Night Principal will have access to that."

Alex thought fast.

Mrs. Murrey turned back to her. "Follow m–"

"I came to enroll!" Alex interrupted quickly.

Mrs. Murrey blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I, um…" Alex started. "I would like to attend this school. What should I do to enroll and get a nightpass?"

Mrs. Murrey was silent for a moment.

"You'd have to see the keeper. The day keeper, since we don't have a night one, and I sure as hell am not handling _admissions_, too. She comes in at 6 a.m."

The clock read five to midnight.

"Now, I'm going to pretend I didn't see you," she continued. She passed her hand over Alex's forehead, erasing the symbol. "No need to thank me." She waved a hand, gesturing for her to leave. "Now leave. Don't come back without a nightpass."

Alex found herself swept up in a wind and plopping down outside the school.

She looked up at the darkened windows of the school and sighed, frustrated.

"Need some help?"

Nicholas and his girlfriend were standing behind her.

She screamed, jumping back.

"Easy there, I don't bite," Nicholas said. He glanced back at the black-and-white-haired girl behind him, grinning mischievously. "This early."

The girl giggled.

"Oh, you think you are so funny!" Alex accused, heart pounding.

She tried to think of an appropriate way to start a conversation with her night speciology subjects.

'Ha-ha, I was totally spying on you earlier.'

_No._

'H-hello, person and not-so-person I've never seen before in my life. No, seriously."

_Maybe._

'How did you get away from the Hunters?'

_Hmmm…_

"U-um," she started. "Do you go to this school?"

"Well, every now and then," Nicholas said, chuckling. "Why, you trying to get in?"

"Um, yeah," Alex admitted reluctantly. "Apparently I need a nightpass? The lights weren't even on."

"Oh, right," the vampire said. "There's a glamour spell on the school, so it looks dark and empty. To get past it, yeah, you need a nightpass…" He pulled out five slips over paper, smiling impishly. "Or at least something that passes for one."

Alex stared. "What do you want for one of these?"

"The happiness of a lady is all the thanks a gentleman needs," he said, handing her one of the slips.

His girlfriend smiled at him, adoration plain on her face.

"U-um…" Alex started. "Th-thank you?"

"Okay," the vampire said, "you girls sit tight, and I'll be right back."

He disappeared into a whirlwind of light and shadow.

"He is _so_cool," the human said.

She looked at Alex, obviously wanting to say something. After several moments, she opened her mouth.

"WHAT?" Alex demanded.

"Are you really a witch?" the girl asked, undeterred.

"Yes," Alex said after a moment, turning away.

"A Weirn, right? Is that your Astral? Can I touch it?" She reached her hand out toward the guardian.

"No, hey!" Alex yelled, jumping between the two.

"Oh, sorry!" the girl said nervously, pulling her hand away. "I didn't mean to be rude.

"Hide," Alex said to the spirit.

The girl looked down shyly as the spirit vanished.

"I'm just so excited," she said. "I was always so into this stuff. And now it's suddenly real!" She looked in the direction opposite Alex. "I thought his notes were some kind of practical joke, at first."

"Notes?" Alex asked.

"You'll probably laugh…" she said, looking away. "I would write these… letters. I pretended that I had a vampire pen pal, but we couldn't meet… because he couldn't come out during the day and I couldn't come out at night. So I'd put them in a box and bury them under this big old tree in the nearby cemetery.

"And then one day he wrote back." She blushed lightly. "Tonight is the second-ever time we've met for real."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "You went to meet some guy you only know through letters? At night?"

"Yeah, probably not very smart, huh," the girl admitted.

"There was a 95% chance that he'd have taken your blood and dumped you in a nearby grave… to die or turn," the Weirn said. "Most vampires are like that."

"Th-that's just a stereotype," the girl stuttered, looking at her uncertainly.

"Yeah, okay, a stereotype," Alex said. "Now explain that vampire newbie that attacked you."

"Are you sure you're okay?" the girl had asked the vampire afterwards. "You looked so_deeead_…"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he'd insisted, scowling at his blood-soaked collar. "Not my shirt, though."

"That was _so_scary," the girl said now. "That whole episode was just… I can't believe he actually got up after that–"

She blinked. "Wait. How did you know about that?"

Alex stiffened. "U-um. Er. Well." She thought. "I'm a witch, duh! I have… witchy ways. Of knowing things. And stuff."

That and really good binoculars.

"Ohhhh," the girl said, smiling. "That is so cool. "Hey, can you find out winning lottery num–"

She was interrupted by the ground rumbling under their feet.

A rectangular hole appeared in the ground in front of them. Alex pushed the girl behind her.

A figure came up the stairs leading to them, the silhouette fuzzy with the mist swirling around.

"Boo," Nicholas said simply, jumping in front of them.

The girls shrieked.

The human opened her eyes, saw it was him, grabbed his sleeve, and shook him, smiling. "Why did you do that, you scared me!"

"Sorry," he said, chuckling.

"I was _this_ close to siccing my Astral on you!" Alex said, glaring and holding her fingers a centimeter apart. "_This_close! And what's with the big hole in the ground?"

"There are protection wards all over the school," he said, looking at her like it was obvious. "Can't just waltz in… I had to find an empty entrance. Did you fill out your passes?"

Alex looked down at the slip of paper asking for name, kin, and who it was issued by.

"You have to fill it out and seal it before going in," he explained.

Alex walked over to a tree and scribbled in the blanks, leaning on it.

"Um, kin–" the human said. "Like, my family name?"

"Just put "human"," Nicholas said. "Now hold it between your hands."

The girls complied, then flinched.

"Ow!" the human said. "It bit me!"

"Just a tiny drop of blood to seal it as yours," Nicholas explained.

"Don't get any ideas," Alex said, glaring at the vampire.

"Oh, please," he said, waving it off. He then leaned in, placing a hand on the tree next to her. "But if ever you really wanted to thank me for the pass…"

"What happened to a lady's happiness being enough?" the Weirn cried, alarmed.

"Just kidding!" Nicholas said, laughing. "Damn."

Alex growled.

The girl tugged on his arm. "L-let's go…"

Nicholas led them down the stairwell, the girl behind him, holding his hand. Alex trailed a few feet behind them.

"Oh, I wonder what the school is like!" the girl said, now clinging to his arm. "Do you seriously have mermaids?"

"I think there's one in third year, yeah," the only actual student said.

Alex was looking away, slightly exasperated with the couple.

"Does she have a tail?" the girl asked.

Nicholas smiled mischievously. "You know, I've never checked…"

Out of the corner of her eye, Alex saw the faint image of a woman, her short, wet hair clinging to her forehead.

"Sarah!" she cried.

It disappeared.

"Sarah!" she yelled, glancing around. "Sarah!"

"Is she having a vision?" the girl whispered to her boyfriend.

"Dunno," he said.

"Hey, witch-girl," he called back, "these things don't stay open forever, you know. We gotta roll."

She glanced around one more time, then followed, still looking behind her.

Nicholas peeked out of the door the portal had lead to.

"Perfect timing," he said to the girls. "Class is almost over."

"Hey, Nic. Sneaking in late?" a girl's voice asked.

Nicholas looked out and saw Ronee and her two friends.

"Gah!" he said, surprised.

"We missed you at the meeting today, Nic," the redhead said.

"Yes, _really_missed you," the blue-haired teen said, grinning.

Nicholas slipped out. "Uh, the meeting…?" he started, almost-closing the door. "Oh sh– Was that tonight? Well! I… have a… very good reason! For not being there."

"Oh?" Ronee asked, amused.

"I ran into Hunters," he said.

"You look…" Ronee started, "surprisingly intact and un-dust-cloud-like following that."

The redhead and student with blue hair snickered.

"Th-that's because they got distracted by these two rippers," he explained, a bit frustrated.

Ronee held back a smile. The other two burst out laughing, both on the verge of tears.

"Look," the vampire said, stiffening, "I know how this sounds, but first of all–it's _true_, and second, I don't have to explain myse–"

"We really were attacked!"

Ronee creaked open the door to reveal the human, who now had her hands over her mouth again.

Nicholas sighed.

"Lunch?" Ronee asked him under her breath.

"Girlfriend!" he yelled. "What the hell!"

"Ah, okay," the dark-skinned Weirn said.

"So do we have a problem or what?" the vampire asked.

"We didn't see anything," Ronee said, fluttering her eyelashes.

"'Kay, I owe you guys one," Nicholas said.

Ronee turned toward Alex, who was slipping out of the door.

The two of them were suddenly pushed away from each other by an invisible force, the image of seven children cloaked in white pushed into their heads, identical cloaks suddenly over the two of them.

The Weirns stared at each other, panting.

"Who the hell are you?" they asked in unison.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, Ronee is pronounced like Renee.


	8. Chapter 8

**Nighschool chapter 8**

Alex and Ronee just stared at each other.

"Hey, that was cool," Nicholas said, smiling. "Do that again."

Ronee turned to him and glared. "_You_."

"Erk." He stiffened.

"What is this, some kinda joke?" the dark-skinned Weirn asked. "Who is she?"

"Uh, just-just some kid wandering outside the school…?" he said uncertainly. "I don't know her…"

"Um," Alex said, trying to get a word in.

"Don't mess with me, Nic!" Ronee demanded. "Who is she?"

"Uh," Alex tried.

Ronee ignored her. "I've been cool with you bringing you little friends around, but I swear, if you–"

"HEY!" Alex yelled.

The darker-skinned girl turned to her.

"He's not my friend," Alex said, arms folded across her chest. "My name is Alex Treveney and I'm a new student here. I'm guessing you're the queen beetch or something?"

The other two short-haired night creatures froze.

"Okay!" Nicholas said, grabbing his girlfriend. "I think we've seen enough bloodshed and violence today. So I'm just going to draw the line right here and leave you magic people to do your thing."

He dashed off, dragged the human behind him and leaving the other four in the dust. "Let's start our tour at the other end of the school."

"Bye!" the girl called back brightly.

"You're pretty cheeky for someone with a fake nightpass," Ronee said, glaring at the white-haired girl. "You're not a student here."

Alex stiffened. "Y-you don't know that."

"I do," Ronee said. "We are the student council and faculty liaisons." She nodded at the two behind her. "It's part of our job to know all the student' names. You're not from here, why did you come?"

Alex was silent for a moment.

"I don't have time for this," Ronee muttered.

"Let's just hand her over to Mrs. Murrey," the redhead said. "She's doing the rounds today."

"Oh yeah," the blue-haired teen said, laughing. "She'd love to catch someone with a fake pass."

"Wait!" Alex said.

The other three turned to her.

"I-I…" the white-haired girl stuttered. "I'm looking for my sister. Sh-she works here… Worked. Her name is Sarah Treveney. She's the night keeper?"

Ronee stiffened, mouth slightly open.

"Nice try, kid," the redhead said, running a hand through her hair. "We don't have a night keeper."

The blue-haired teen shook their head, silently laughing at the girl.

Alex looked closer at Ronee, who turned away.

"You know the name," Alex said, brightening.

"No, I don't know who that is," Ronee said, still not looking at her.

"That's a lie!" Alex exclaimed.

"We have to go," Ronee said. The three students turned and started walking away.

"You're lying!" Alex cried, running after them.

_RRIIING_

The hallways flooded, demons, shifters, witches, and vampires pouring in from the classrooms.

Alex struggled against the flow, running toward the three.

"Wait… Wait!" she yelled, desperate. "What do you know? Tell me!"

She caught up and slipped past the redhead. "Where is my sister?"

The redhead snatched Alex's nightpass out of her jacket pocket and clicked her tongue. "Leave, rude girl."

She ripped it in half.

Alex was left alone, the other students, the light, and any sign that there was anyone else in the building, disappearing.

She looked over her shoulder and stiffened, seeing oily black tentacle-like waves reaching toward her.

She ran for the door that lead to the portal and slammed it shut behind her.

She leaned against the door, mildly relieved, until she saw the bricks scraping against each other.

The ceiling started to collapse.

"Ah!" Alex said, startled.

She ran.

"HELP!" she cried, bracing herself against the hundreds of pounds of stone about to come crashing down on her head.

Her Astral popped back into view and pulled her out of the ground, make-shift arms straining.

She set the Weirn down.

Alex sat there, panting and shaking like a leaf.

She looked back up at the school, then squeezed her eyes shut and pounded a fist against the grass, still shaking.

Her Astral reached over and brushed the dirt off of one of her shoulders.

Alex looked up at her, depressed, sat up, and brushed off her other arm.

She stood up, walked back up the steps to the school, and plopped down in front of the door.

She rustled through her bag, took out the picture she'd found on the dresser, and clutched it to her chest, smushing it between her jacket and her knees.

She glanced up at the moon.

"It's okay," she said to herself. "Six hours isn't that long. I'll enroll, get a real pass, and… it's going to be okay."

The Astral wrapped herself around the Weirn.

Daemon, Teresa, Cassidy, and Marina were on a train, the girls sitting, the boys standing.

"Okay, thanks, Ten," Teresa said into the cell phone. "Just keep watching over things there, 'kay?"

She hung up.

"They're still unconscious," she told the boys. She clutched her head. "Argh, we need to find her! But how? Can't use the trail–the city ate through it in the first hour…"

Cassidy thought. "Might still be fresh enough for a wolf…?"

Teresa brightened a bit. "The wolves! Sir?"

Daemon was silent for a moment. "The relations with the shifters' community may be… strained at the moment." He looked over at Marina, who was munching on chocolate bar, zoned out. "Because they're suddenly short a seer."

"Oh, man, that's right," Teresa said. "Will they come after her?"

"They might," Daemon said. "Keep your guard up."

"Teacher, you don't seem worried at all," Cassidy observed. "Is there…"

Daemon waved the unfinished question away. He pulled a pad of paper and pen out of his jacket and clicked the pen, looking at Marina, who was staring at her chocolate-covered fingers, mumbling to herself, and smiling lightly.

He scribbled down '2 questions in 1 hour usual place', clicked the pen again, ripped the sheet out and tossed it into the air behind it.

It was consumed in flames in midair.

Cassidy watched, slightly alarmed.

The train screeched to a halt.

"Our stop," the teacher said, holding a hand out to the seer. "C'mon, kid, let's get you home."

The four of them stepped off of the train and waited for it to leave.

The three kids jumped off the platform, avoiding the tracks. Daemon knelt on the edge.

"Follow the safeways, don't stray," he told the two Hunters. "Protect her with your lives." They nodded. He stood up and started walking away. "I'll be back in the morning."

Daemon glanced around the abandoned park and sat down on a wooden bench that was lit by a solitary street lamp a few feet away.

"I'm in the middle of a class, you know," Mr. Roi said, appearing next to him. "They'd better be good questions."

Daemon met the teacher's pale blue eyes with his almost-white ones. "They'd better have good answers." He looked away. "Three of mine had their time taken. I am looking for the girl who did it. Also, any broken seals I should know about?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Nighschool chapter 9**

Mrs. Hatcher walked up the school stairs as the sun rose over the New York skyscrapers. She stopped, seeing Alex leaning against the wall, her Astral still wrapped around her shoulders.

"Hey," the keeper said, kneeling next to her and gently shaking her shoulder.

"M'ke 'ur own breakfast…" Alex muttered, not waking up.

Mrs. Hatcher stared blankly.

"Hey, wake up!" she said, shaking her harder. "Who are you? Your Astral's on display!"

Said Astral floated away from the sleeping Weirn.

Alex crossed her arms over herself and squeezed her eyes tighter. "L'mme alone… Th're's bagels in th' fridge…"

"I said, wake up." She reached over and snapped her fingers in front of the girl's face.

Alex's eyes snapped open and she jolted to sit up. "Uh," she said, startled.

"What are you doing here?" the keeper asked. "Dayschool's starting soon. Why aren't you home?"

"Um…" Alex started. "I, uh... I'm new. I'd-I'd like to enroll. I was told to see the day keeper. Are you her?"

Mrs. Hatcher clicked her tongue. "Let me guess, Mrs. Murrey couldn't be bothered." She stood up. "Fine. Follow me."

A moment later, the two of them were walking though the hallway. Mrs. Hatcher unlocked her door.

She looked in, saw the red paperback sticking out of the drawer and stiffened.

"Argh! Who's been reading my book?" She ran over and tried to fix it. "Of all the… Aw, the cover's all bent."

She snapped her fingers, summoned a stack of papers, and handed them to Alex, who was now standing behind her.

"You go on ahead and fill out the application," she said, starting out the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I just need to see what else they didn't clean up."

She closed the door behind her. "There better not be a dragon hatchery in the science room…" she grumbled to herself. "_Again_."

Alex started after her a moment, then looked down at the top paper on the stack. It read:

"Part I: Personal Information

Family Name:

Kin: _ Weirn Spell Grade  
>Astral Level<br>_ Demon Kind  
>_ Vampire Date of Death<br>_ Shapeshifter Primary Form  
>Other Known Forms<br>_ Other Specify

_ M _ F _ Other Date of Birth

Address:

Phone # E-mail

Contact in event of emergency  
>Name Occupation<br>Relationship  
>Phone # Morning Night Leyline<p>

Areas of interest _Spell Arts _Math _Drama  
>(Check all that _Music _Alchemistry _Creative Writing<br>apply) _Science _Sports _Visual Arts

Part II: Essay Questions

What are your career interests?

Page 1 of 15"

"HOW MANY PAGES?" Alex cried.

Her Astral held up fifteen fingers.

"Yes, thank you," Alex deadpanned. "That was a rhetorical question."

She flipped through the papers. "Skill-testing questions? What is this, like an entrance exam…?"

At 6:05, she was dutifully filling in the application and her Astral was watching over her shoulder.

By 6:15, she was a bit bored, and her Astral was floating off.

By 6:25, she was mildly frustrated, and her Astral had her head on the desk, bored.

By 6:30, she'd flung the papers and pen into the air, annoyed, and her Astral was catching them, happy for the change in pace.

By 6:40, she was about to give up and her Astral was spinning a pen on her "nose" behind her.

The door opened and Mrs. Hatcher walked in, her arms full with hissing baby dragons.

"No words," she muttered to herself, walking past Alex. "I have no. Words."

She dropped them in the corner and turned to the girl. "Do you need any help?

"N-no," Alex said, hand on her forehead. "I think I'm winning.

"Okay, finish it up then," the keeper said. She turned to the still-hissing dragons.

"Sit still!" she snapped.

The mirror next to her blinked on. "Yes, I'd like pest control," she said. "I-I mean, humane society, please."

Alex looked back at her test and froze.

"Special Conditions  
>(allergies, curses, other)<br>_ Yes _ No"

She glanced back at the keeper.

Mrs. Hatcher dropped a dragon through a portal. "In you go."

Alex looked back at the question. Her pen hovered over the yes.

She checked no.

"I'm done," Alex said to the keeper.

"Beauty," Mrs. Hatcher said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. She walked over and rummaged through her desk drawer. "Let me get you your student package, and you'll be all set to go to school tonight."

"J-just like that?" Alex asked, surprised.

"Yes," Mrs. Hatcher said, still rummaging. "Why are you surprised?"

Alex thought of the insanity that had gone on in the last seven hours. "I… just… er."

Mrs. Hatcher pulled out two books, one darker than the other. "Honey, we exert enough effort _keeping_kids in school. If a child wants to attend of their own free will? All you have to do is say so."

She took the application from Alex's hands. "Well, that and fill out a billion and one forms." She tossed it into the air behind her, and it was consumed in blue flame. "All right, I'm running out of time, so let's talk and walk."

She started speed walking down the hall and shoved the lighter book into Alex's hands. "Your application is on its way to the head office for processing. The legal guardian you indicated on the form will receive a copy for a signature within a week. This is your student planner… Your class list and time for the orientation session will appear on page ten."

"When…?" Alex managed to get in.

"By the end of today, once you application's been processed," she said, not slowing down or looking at the girl. "Just FYI, you'll be in a group because a couple other students enrolled last night. When it rains students, it pours…"

She handed her the other book, still not turning around. "Your student handbook. Please read the rules and guidelines very carefully. Or be very, very sorry. Your choice."

Alex flipped through.

"There's a foldout map in the handbook–very important," the keeper continued. "The school layout changes at night, so always check this before going anywhere."

They reached the front doors and the keeper finally turned around and handed the girl a plastic-like rectangle with the school symbol on the front. "And here is your nightpass. Fill it out, seal it, keep it with you always."

"Um," Alex started, "can I stay for a bit longer to… uh… get familiar with–"

"Absolutely not," Mrs. Hatcher snapped. Her hand reached out and opened a portal against one of the walls. "And if I catch you? I _will_accidentally turn you into something that's quiet and doesn't get in the way. Like a rabbit for the science room."

Alex gulped and slipped into the portal. "O-oh, okay, I'll come back tonight. Bye."

Mrs. Hatcher shook her head and sighed, then glanced up at the clock.

7:04

"AH!" the keeper cried.

"How did yours do on the pop quiz?" one of the teachers approaching the school asked the other.

"Half the class failed," the other complained. "Urgh."

"The hour strikes, etc. etc…." the keeper panicked. "Shadows blah blah… I don't get paid enough for this…"

Mr. Roi walked over to the broken stone circle, the missing pieces revealing a deep hole.

"That's… indeed a broken seal," he said.

"Is it one of yours?" Daemon asked.

Mr. Roi knelt down and touched the rim of the circle. "Yes. Mine and… a couple of colleagues who helped out, it would seem. Both dead now."

"What was in there?" the Hunter asked.

Mr. Roi slowly got to his feet. "I don't remember."

"Useless," Daemon muttered.

"Before you judge!" Mr. Roi said, indignant. "I'd like a chance to point out that my defeated enemies are many and I cannot be expected to remember all of them. I do, however, keep detailed records that I can consult, so that's not a problem. A much more difficult question is… Who broke my seal. No small feat, that."

"How long do the kids have?" Daemon asked after a moment.

Mr. Roi thought. "Hm. Depends on how much of their time was taken… If a little, they'll wake up before the end of the day, more or less okay. If their lives… they'll start changing." He looked at the Hunter. "And be dead by the third sunrise."

Daemon was silent for a moment.

"Changing how?"

Marina opened her mouth wide and stuck her tongue out.

"Okay, that looks fine," Ten observed. "Now, look–" she held up eight fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up now?"

Marina squinted and pointed to each one as she counted out loud. "1, 2, 3, 4, 6..."

Cassidy looked in and walked over to Ten. "She take her medicine?" he asked.

"Yep, it's starting to kick in," she said. "Cass, she had a lot of it left… I don't think they were making sure she took it there."

The boy stiffened and knelt down next to her. "They wouldn't. Compromises the visions and makes her useless to them. Bastards."

Marina quietly counted off her fingers, smiling. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6..."

"Hey, Mar," the redhead said. "Can you tell me what today's date is?"

Marina looked up, a bit surprised, and thought hard. "Mon… No. Tuesday. October? October… 24th."

"Close enough!" Ten said to the boy, smiling.

"And do you know where you are?" Cassidy asked, ignoring the half-pink-haired girl.

Marina thought a moment, surprised.

"Home," she said, smiling.

The other two smiled a bit back.

"That's right," Cassidy said. He reached out and mussed her hair. "And we won't let anyone take you away." He stood up and started to leave. "Get some rest."

Marina watched him walk away, blushing.

"Yeah, um," Ten said, smiling and surprising the other girl. "Good luck with that, Mar."

Cassidy walked through the hall, drying his hair with the towel around his neck. He paused, hearing the pounding coming from the room at the end of the hall.

He walked over to it and opened the door a bit. "Reese, are you still training?"

A samurai sword whizzed past his shoulder.

"Yeah!" the girl inside the room yelled. "Whaddaya want?"

"Uh…" Cassidy managed. "It's not important. Carry on."

He walked over to the larger, closed door across the hall. He opened the door and saw Jaq still by the unconscious, shaggy-haired Hunter.

Cassidy walked over and put a hand on the fair-haired Hunter's shoulder. "Jaq, have you eaten?"

The other Hunter stiffened, surprised, then turned back to the unconscious boy.

Cassidy stood there a moment, then turned and started walking. "I'll bring you something."

Jaq grabbed his wrist.

Cassidy turned, curious.

"Does he look different to you?" the fair-haired Hunter asked after a moment.

Cassidy smiled. "No, just the same old Jay, snoozing the day away."

Jaq didn't smile back.

Cassidy didn't move for a moment, waiting for the other Hunter to say something else.

"If he dies…" Jaq started, "I will kill her. Whoever she is."

Alex sneezed hard into her hand. She moved it away.

"Aw, great," she muttered, seeing the blood on it.

Her Astral floated over and handed her a tissue.

"Thanks," the Weirn said, taking it. She held it up to her nose and resumed picking at her dinner, her Astral circling her chair.

"Ah, this looks like a right period," Mr. Roi said, taking a book off of a shelf in the expansive library he and Daemon were standing in, illuminated only by identical blue lights floating over the two.

"What language is this?" Daemon asked, flipping through another book.

"Aramaic, probably," Mr. Roi said, not looking up from his book. "I was pretty into it back in the day."

"It's not Aramaic," Daemon said. "Or I'd be able to read it."

Mr. Roi walked over and looked over his shoulder at the sprawling handwriting.

"Oh," he said, taking it.

"What," Daemon said.

"It's… a personal code," Mr. Roi said. "Which I must've devised and switched to for a while."

Daemon pinched the bridge of his nose, annoyed.

"Hmm," Mr. Roi said, flipping through the book. "I wonder if I still have the key for it. This is not a problem!" he said quickly, turning to the Hunter. "I will either find it or figure it out, whichever comes first."

"When?" Daemon asked.

"Tonight," Mr. Roi said. "Ideally by the time classes start tonight. Or Madam Chen will get unpleasant again." He got an idea and turned back to the Hunter. "How old did your Seer say the girl is?"

"Young," Daemon said, not turning around. "About thirteen. Not tall, Caucasian, white hair."

"Hmm," Mr. Roi thought out loud, "a thirteen-year-old blonde who casts ancient and powerful spells… I wonder if someone like her would be attending school. What are the chances that she's in my–?"

"She's homeschooled," Daemon interrupted, studying a ancient-looking sword he'd pulled out of nowhere. "And not blonde hair–white. As in gray. It used to by brown."

Alex jolted awake, her head snapping up out of her arms. She glanced at the clock sleepily.

8:24 p.m.

Her eyes widened and she quickly flipped through her planner.

8:30 Orientation

It was 8:26.

"Welcome, uh…" Madam Chen said, sipping her coffee and looking at a sheet of paper. The young-looking, dark-skinned girl with the twin buns standing next to her smiled warmly, her hands behind her back. "Devon Harding?"

"Here," the African American boy in front of her said, looking away, his curly hair in his eyes.

"And Tyron Berse," the principal said.

"Yeah," the boy standing next to Devon said, one hand running through his messy blond hair, solid red eyes looking off.

"Ah, we seem to be missing a student," Madam Chen said, squinting at the list.

She saw Alex running toward the group.

"And here she is!" the principal said. "Alex Treveney?"

"Yes," Alex panted, stopping next to the dark-skinned girl.

"Excellent," Madam Chen said, "welcome to our school, Alex." She turned toward the group. "I am Madam Chen, the night principal and not someone you want to see very often. So try to stay out of trouble. I trust you all have read your student handbooks and know the rules?"

"Um, yeah, sure," the boys muttered.

"Yes," Alex said.

"Wonderful!" Madam Chen said brightly. She gestured to the other girl. "Meet Rochelle, she is in your year and has kindly volunteered to show you around the school."

Rochelle waved brightly.

"She will also help you get your textbooks," Madam Chen continued. "Homeroom is at 9:00 and classes start at 9:15. Don't be late!"

She disappeared into a swirl of shadow.

The three new students' eyes glowed eerily with the leftover magic.

"Soooo…" Rochelle started brightly. "What do you want to see first?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Nightschool chapter 10**

Tyron raised a sharp-nailed hand. "I have a question."

"Sure!" Rochelle said brightly.

He turned to Alex. "Are you a boy or a girl?"

She stiffened and folded her arms across her chest, blushing and looking away. "I-I'm a girl."

"'Cause you look like a boy," Tyron observed.

"Well _you_look like a dweeb," Alex snapped, looking back at him. "Are you?"

Tyron turned to Devon. "What's a dweeb?"

"Human slang for your kind," the darker-skinned boy said, not looking at him.

"Oh," he said. "And you, are you a–"

"I'm a boy," Devon interrupted, annoyed.

"I was gonna "Weirn"," Tyron said brightly. "All three of you are, aren't you? Hey, show me your Astrals."

Alex and Devon frowned deeply and glared. Rochelle grinned blankly, mouth open.

"Is there a place where we could ditch him…?" Devon muttered, pulling out the map in his guidebook. Alex looked over his shoulder. "Like a shark pit?"

"Hey!" Tyron complained.

"Er…" Rochelle started nervously, waving for everyone to calm down. "Well, we don't have a lot of time, so… Let's start the tour!" She delicately cleared her throat. "We are standing in the main lobby of public Nightschool 13W… also known as the Benjamin Theron Nightschool, named after Sir Benjamin Theron, a Weirn spell scientist from Britain." She pointed up at a painting of a white-haired old man with a handlebar mustache and spectacles. "That's him up there. He's really famous because he revolutionized spell science… by applying the concept of algorithms and axioms!"

Tyron stared, confused.

"Nerd," Devon muttered.

"A-also, um!" Rochelle tried. "He is famous for accidentally sinking an island off the shore of Australia in one of his experiments."

"Whoa, cool," Tyron said, red eyes wide.

"But moving on!" Rochelle said, pulling out the map. "The school layout is a little complicated and changes a lot every night… but the map in the handbook is always updated and shows where you are." She pointed at the glowing symbol on the map. "So we are on the main floor, main hall. These little dots show the available lockers on every floor. Every fifth locker belongs to the Nightschool and has a special lock on it. It's red and black, with the numbers backward… and a _tiiiiiiny_school logo on the back. The school offices, cafeteria, gym, and auditorium are all on the main floor, and the–"

"Er, according to this, there is a forest with a lake on the third floor…?" Tyron interrupted.

"Oh!" Rochelle said, as bright as ever. "That's right! Let's go see!"

A few minutes later, she was leading the other three up the stairs to what was, indeed, a forest with a lake.

"I love this place!" the darker-skinned girl gushed. "It's for the cryptozoology class. Though people sneak in to eat lunch here!" She giggled.

"Oh, wow, I'm totally doing that!" Tyron said. "Man, this school is hooked up."

"The third floor also has the alchemistry labs, English, math, ho–" Rochelle started, pointing.

"Uh, fascinating," Devon interrupted, "but I think we can all read a map. Where do we get our textbooks?"

"Oh, um, um, at the library, second floor," Rochelle said, surprised.

"Just down these stairs?" he asked, walking down and looking at the map instead of in front of him.

"And two turns left," Rochelle added.

"See ya," Alex said, looking at her map.

"I guess it is all pretty self-explanatory," Rochelle admitted, looking back at her map, "so–"

She was interrupted by a _SPLASH_.

"ARGH!" Devon yelled.

The three of them ran down the stairs.

The Weirn was chest-deep in a river, clawing at the dirt.

"WHY IS THERE A RIVER IN THE MIDDLE OF A HALLWAY?" he cried. "It wasn't even marked!" he continued as Alex dragged him out.

"Oh, um, um!" Rochelle panicked as the boy seethed, looking at her map. "It must be temporary, I think it's just for–"

A mermaid rose out of the water, her tail transforming into a pair of legs, leaving behind a human-looking, _completely nude_woman.

"Is this Benjamin Theron Nightschool?" she asked with a thick French accent.

Alex and Devon stared wordlessly.

"Boobs," Tyron whispered, wide-eyed.

"U-uh," Rochelle stuttered. "U-um. Yes, this-this is–"

"MISS LAVELLE!" a voice yelled.

The four of them turned and saw Mrs. Murrey running toward them with a white bathrobe.

"I AM!" she continued, gasping. "SO GLAD! THAT YOU! MADE IT!"

She whizzed by them and handed the robe to the mermaid, who quickly and calmly slipped it on.

"Wel-welcome to our school," the teacher managed, struggling to breathe. "We are so happy that you could make the time for us! If you would please follow me…"

"Bien sur," the mermaid said, fixing her hair.

Alex was the only one to notice the river close up behind them. "Huh."

"A-ah!" Rochelle managed. "She must be here as a guest speaker, then. That's, um… Jacqui Lavelle, the famous environmentalist."

"I hate this school," Devon grumbled.

"I like it," Tyron said, nodding and smiling. "Indoor lakes, great guest speakers with… a lot to share with us students…"

Devon glared at him for a moment.

"I'm outta here," he fumed, marching off.

"Oh hey, man, wait!" Tyron said. "I wanna get my textbooks, too!"

"See you in class!" Rochelle yelled after them. She turned to Alex. "Do you want to get your textbo–"

"I want to finish the tour," she interrupted.

"Oh, okay," the darker-skinned girl said. "What do you want to se–"

"Everything," Alex interrupted again. "Every corner."

Rochelle stiffened. "Erk."

Alex pulled out her map and pointed to something on it. "Starting with this–is this some sort of cave?"

"That's for alchemistry, lab work," Rochelle explained.

"And this?" Alex asked, pointing at something else.

"Astral physics. And that's math, beside it."

Marina slowly opened her eyes and looked at the clock. 8:40. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She walked out of her room, yawning, and looked into the living room.

"Anyone here?" she asked.

Ten looked up. She was laying on the floor, reading a book, with her legs up on the couch, ankles crossed. "Hey, Mar! You sure slept a lot. How are you feeling?"

"I feel great," Marina said, smiling. "I slept like a log."

"Any visions?" the Hunter asked.

The younger girl plopped down on the couch, beaming. "Noooo, just a whole lot of nothing on my mind. I'm going to try reading. I think I should be able to focus."

"Well, be careful," the older girl said, looking back at her book. "The medicine's strong, but it's not magic, you know."

The seer looked around. "Where is everyone? Where's Nadya?"

"Noh, Terrance, and Jay are still out," Ten said. "Jaq's with them. Cassidy and Teresa are trying to kick each other's ribs in."

Marina froze, her eyes wide. "Huh?"

"Training, they are training," Ten said, looking back at her and smiling lightly. "Teacher's still not back, so we're just hanging out and doing homework."

Marina peeked over and looked at her book. It was a foreign manga.

"This is studying!" Ten insisted, shoving it into the other girl's hands. "I took up Korean while you were gone. In Korean, see?"

"Are you sure you're not just looking at the pictures?" Marina asked.

Ten lifted up the couch with her foot, laughing and sending Marina flying against the back. "Mar, you're so funny today!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding, put the couch down!" the younger girl cried, laughing.

Cassidy's feet slid back across the floorboard. Teresa's landed firmly, her ankle band and shorts brushing against her legs.

"Sloppy today, Cass," Teresa said, smirking. "You sprain anything fighting the rippers yesterday, poor baby?"

Cassidy wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, not responding.

She lunged at him and punching at his jaw. He avoided it.

She round-kicked where his neck would've been if he hadn't dropped down.

He reached over and tickled the back of her knee.

She laughed, her guard falling.

He smirked, jumped to his feet, and round-kicked her left side.

She cried out in surprise, her feet slipping. She caught herself and landed kneeling, only to find Cassidy grab her face from behind.

"Your neck is one twist away from snapping," he said in her ear. "I win."

She growled. "That wasn't fair!" she accused, her elbow jabbing his knee as he stood up. "You're such an ass!"

He started to walk away, smiling. "Know your enemy's weakness. Use your enemy's weakness until she learns to wear pants to training sessions."

She punched out.

He landed in the middle of the wall across the hall, surrounded by a web of cracks.

Marina froze, wide-eyed, just stepping out of the living room.

"Hey, Rese, you win again!" Ten called across the hall, standing next to the frozen seer and smiling.

"Are you okay?" Marina asked, running over to the boy.

He detached himself from the wall and smiled a bit. "Yeah, I'm fine. Rese is a sore loser, but we all knew that." He got up and stretched.

Teresa walked over to the three. "Hey, look who's awake!" she said. "You have breakfast yet?"

"Not yet," Marina said brightly, "I want to wait for Nadya and the others to come back."

The other three stared at her.

She looked at them, confused. "What?"

"You-you said they were out…" Marina said, eyes wide, staring down at Noh's unconscious form.

"Yeah, sorry, I meant out as in unconscious…" Ten said behind her, nervously scratching the back of her head. "I thought you remembered from yesterday. But I guess you wouldn't, huh."

Marina leaned toward Noh, hand outstretched toward her face, and said something in a foreign language. Her hand touched her cheek.

She stiffened.

"Why is her skin like this?" Marina asked, looking up.

"Huh?" Ten asked.

Jaq looked up, surprised, still sitting next to Jay, reached out a hand to touch the boy's cheek, and stiffened.

Teresa reached out to touch Terrance's face.

"Like sandpaper," she said, eyes wide. She turned to Cassidy, who was standing behind her.

"It…" he started. "It wasn't like that this morning."

Rochelle leaned against the stair rail, panting.

Alex peered under the stairway.

"Are you looking for something?" Rochelle asked.

"No," the white-haired girl said, jotting something down.

"It's almost time for homeroom," the darker-skinned girl said, coming to stand next to her. "You still need your textbooks. I can show you around more during lunch, if you want."

Alex glanced around one more time, looking desperate. "Okay. Thank you…" she said, pulling out her map. "But just one last place. Over there?" She pointed at a large medieval-style, black-iron knocker-ed, wooden door across the hall.

Rochelle walked over and opened the door, Alex looking over her shoulder.

"Wow," the guide said, taking in the giant semi-oval windows, long bookcase, three tiers of seats, and huge double podium. She looked at her map. "This must be Mr. Roi's new classroom. He wrecks the normal rooms on a regular basis with his presentations. I guess Madam Chen finally succeeded in getting him a bigger one."

"Who's Mr. Roi?" Alex asked.

"Heh, only the coolest teacher in school," Rochelle explained. "He teaches advanced spell science and Astral physics… This is the elite class; he only takes the best. His students have even competed on an international level, all kinds of magic competitions… He's really amazing. I bet he could help you."

"Huh?" Alex asked.

"You know," Rochelle said, smiling innocently. "To find whatever it is you weren't looking for all over the school."

"Oh," Alex said, reddening.

"Come on, or we'll be late," Rochelle said, leading Alex down the hall.

The bat-winged student they passed closed a locker and turned toward them, hair still not parting to reveal the student's eyes.

"She's here."


	11. Chapter 11

**Nightschool chapter 11**

Mr. Roi studied the book in his hand, the expansive – and now messy – library lit by a few blue flames floating around him.

He frowned, closed the book, and tossed it into the quickly growing pile to his left.

"Library," he said.

A collection of stray papers blew together, rustling, and formed the vague shape of a woman.

"Yes, sir?"

"Are you certain these are all the volumes from the period?" he asked, his back to her.

"I am, sir. All the records are up to date and recently recatalogued."

He reached a hand toward one of the shelves. "And in the reference section, no mention of the seal on The Ainar Plain?"

"None."

He was silent for a moment. "Hmm. Then I suppose I will have to look elsewhere."

"Before you go, sir… You wished to be reminded of your class. It is at midnight."

"Ah, that's right," the teacher said. "Thank you. Is the Hunter still around?"

"Mr. Daemon has been gone for some time. He left a message requesting speed in your investigation."

"I'm sure he did," Mr. Roi muttered, walking away.

"There is also a Leynet message from Madam Chen, saying there is a pleasant surprise waiting for you at the school."

Mr. Roi stopped and turned back to the paper librarian. "Oh? Well, some good news is definitely welcome tonight. Oh, and by the way, these are for you." A wooden box full of books and scrolls appeared a few feet away. "New arrivals. Please take care of them."

The librarian beamed, surprised, and threw herself at the box.

"My apologies for the mess," the teacher said, walking away again, "but I must be going. Apparently, there is an elusive silver-haired menace on the loose."

The bell rung just as Rochelle opened the classroom door, Alex standing behind her.

"That was the bell just now," Mrs. Murrey said, frowning at them. "So you girls better have late slips, or it's detention for you both."

"Here they are, Mrs. Murrey!" Rochelle said, beaming and handing two slips of paper to the scowling woman. "Alex was new; we were just getting her books."

"Ugh, Mrs. Hanley, I should've known," the teacher said, frowning at the signature. "No understanding of discipline…"

"There's an empty desk near me, do you want it?" Rochelle asked Alex.

"Um, sure," the white-haired girl said uncertainly. "Thanks."

Mrs. Murrey put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, before you join the class…" the teacher said, smiling all too brightly, "would you like to introduce yourself?"

Alex stared at the class for a moment, then looked back up at her, slightly nervous. "Um, no?"

"Oh, you're shy!" she said, blood red eyes softening. She patted the girl's shoulder. "Well, that's alright. I will gladly do it for you."

Alex stiffened under her hand, alarmed.

"Class, meet Alice Tweeney, our newest student," Mrs. Murrey said, reading off of a sheet of paper.

"It's Alex," the girl said, clutching her books to her chest, blushing deeply, and looking at the floor.

"Alice here is thirteen years old," the teacher continued, ignoring her, "has no listed interests, and comes to us from… from…" She put one sharp-nailed hand over her mouth and gasped quietly. "Oh, she's been homeschooled! Oh, dear. Well, that certainly explains a lot." She leaned down and tried to look the girl in the eye. "I… Hmm. Well, don't you worry, we'll get you up to speed. You just grab a seat over there by Rochelle. I'll talk to you in a little bit."

Alex stiffly walked past the rows of yammering students and sat down in the desk next to Rochelle.

"Are you okay?" the darker-skinned girl whispered.

Alex fumed silently.

"So, where were we? Ah, yes," Mrs. Murrey said with a disturbingly bright smile. "Welcome to your 16th Astral training class of the school year! I bet you are wondering what sort of exciting things you will be learning today, right?" The students looked bored out of their minds already. "Well, put those textbooks away, because today there are no reading assignments! Today, you officially start training your Astrals. So call them out, Weirn boys and girls!"

The students smiled, surprised, and cheered as the room filled with the smoky black guardians.

"As we all know, Astrals are not terribly smart, unlike _real_demons like myself," the teacher continued. "They are loyal as dogs and have just about as much sense or finesse… But!"

Alex stared, bewildered, stroking her guardian's face.

"With care, attention, and proper training techniques," Mrs. Murrey continued, "they can become quite clever and useful… beyond their natural function of protecting you and being a general waste of space." She snapped her fingers and two glasses appeared in front of every student but Alex, one empty and one filled with water. "Today's instructions are quite simple… Have your Astral transfer the water from one glass to the other… using a teaspoon!" She held one up, once again smiling too brightly.

The students stared.

"Using a _what_?"

"Aw, come _on_!"

"What!"

"Augh!"

"For real?"

Mrs. Murrey shook a finger, ignoring their complaints. "Now now, Astral training is a very delicate and attention-consuming process, so _noooo_talking! Don't make me use the silence spell again. I don't think anyone except me enjoyed that last time! Now then, Alice." She slid over next to Alex's desk, smiling too pleasantly. "I wouldn't expect you to start with such an advanced assignment. Don't worry… I have a special activity for you while you catch up!" She snapped her fingers and a shape-matching set and three sheets of paper appeared in front of the girl, who looked shocked and offended.

"Um, I think I could handle the spoon assignment, actually," Alex said, looking up at the woman.

"Nonsense," Mrs. Murrey said, waving the comment away. She closed her eyes and attached another fake smile to her face. "First see if you can get you're Astral to match these shapes… and then fold the paper in half, thirds, and quarters. In the meantime, the rest of you can–" Her eyes snapped open.

"No, no," Alex told her Astral, who was holding an origami swan, "she said half, thirds, and quarters… Look, you can play origami later! Just finish the lame assignment first!"

Mrs. Murrey frowned, the last word echoing in her ears.

Her eyes squeezed shut, an annoyed smile taking over her mouth. "I suppose to an ignorant child this assignment may seem… lame. Perhaps you _should_ give it a go." She snapped her fingers and the shape set and papers were replaced with two glasses. "Astrals may be easily capable of punching through walls and such… but applying finesse in a delicate task? You'll find it's not quite as easy as it lo–" She broke off, seeing the Astral shake the last drop from the newly-empty glass and drop it into the other with a _plink_.

"Done," Alex said as her Astral made the water float around in the air.

Mrs. Murrey and the rest of the class stared in awe.

"I have a question," the new student said.

"Yes?" Mrs. Murrey asked, seeming to struggle for the word.

Alex looked her in the red demon eyes, calmly, almost coolly. "This class is kinda failing to teach me something I don't already know. Should I stick with being homeschooled, or will this get serious?"

Mrs. Murrey stiffened. "Serious? Okay, I can definitely offer special assignments to students who… want a challenge." She made a gesture with her fingers and Alex's chair turned into a portal.

Alex fell through and saw she was quickly dropping from a skyscraper.

She screamed.

"In case you have room in your small brain to wonder this…"

Alex looked up and saw a bat with Mrs. Murrey's face flapping its wings above her.

"This is the final exam for this class," the teacher-turned-bat continued. "The goal of the assignment is very simple–don't hit the hit the ground. Not only will you break some bones, but you'll fail the class. Have fun!"

She disappeared, leaving Alex and her Astral.

"Can't you do something?" Alex yelled at the guardian.

The Astral tied wisps of black around her, only for the gravity to make the Weirn fall right through them.

Alex's heart pounded. She saw the cars on the street below. Her arms braced in front of her face, her mind escaping to a day a few years back. Back when Sarah was still her teacher.

_"Sarah…"_

The older girl turned from her book, a pen in her mouth. "Hmm?"

"She just won't listen to me!" Alex complained, pointing at the Astral floating next to her. "Even the simplest things, she keeps screwing up!"

Sarah smiled a bit. "Hey now, nice try, but it's not

her_ who's screwing up – it's _you_._

"Huh?"

Sarah reached out and stroked the spirit's face. "Don't treat her like a separate thing, they don't like that. She is part of your being, part of your power–like your voice, your hands. Are you going to blame your feet for stumbling?"

"My feet don't steal cookies when I'm not looking," the younger girl muttered.

Sarah laughed and wrapped her arm around her younger sister's neck. "Okay, you have a point, smarty-pants. But you get the idea, right?"

"I guess," Alex said, rolling her eyes and smiling.

Sarah reached a hand out toward the guardian. "This is you, your power. Relax into it, connect. Think of what needs to be done… Then do it.

Alex's Astral was still trying to wrap her arms around the Weirn.

Alex moved her hands from her face and calmly opened her eyes.

"Wings."

Her Astral wrapped herself around the girl and the black wisps of her body furled out into a set of wings.

Alex looked down, wide-eyed in surprise.

A smile of pure joy took over and she let herself be flown up to the classroom window.

A translucent white veil appeared above her head.

"Hello, world."

Her foot landed on a desk, the veil gone, and her Astral folded her wings and peeled away.

The class stared. Mrs. Murrey gaped.

Alex looked up at her, the haunting intensity that had appeared with the veil not gone yet, black wisps of smoky substance still wrapped around her.

"My name is Alex Treveney. Get it right."

She crouched down, dropped down off of the desk, and stroked her Astral's face. The spirit wrapped herself around the Weirn's arm.

Alex looked back up at the teacher. "I believe I just earned a passing grade in your class. What now?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Nightschool chapter 12**

"MADAM CHEN!" Mrs. Murrey screamed, throwing open the principal's door and dragging Alex behind her by her arm.

The shorter woman almost dropped the coffee pot in her hand.

"WHY IS SHE IN MY CLASS?" the enraged teacher continued.

"S-she's your new student…?" Madam Chen said, bewildered and not at all intimidated.

"HER ASTRAL CONTROL IS UNIVERSITY LEVEL!" the demon fumed. "IF NOT HIGHER! WHY IS SHE IN MY CLASS?"

"University level?" the principal asked, pleasantly surprised. "Really?"

"YES!" She was still seething. "SHE JUST GREW FULLY-SPANNED WINGS, SUE! SHE–"

"How impressive!" Madam Chen said, smiling. "Do you think she's good material for Mr. Roi's class, then?"

Mrs. Murrey looked ready to yell some more, but instead smiled evilly, turning back to Alex. "Yes. Oh yes, definitely."

Alex paled, worried.

"_Great_," Madam Chen said, smiling brightly. "He's been wanting a new student to play with."

"Oooh, _he'll_ cut you down to size," the teacher told the now-scared Weirn. "See if you can mouth off to _him_." She turned back to the principal. "I…" She trailed off and squinted at the coffeemaker sitting on her desk. "Is that the coffeemaker from the teacher' lounge? …That's gone missing?"

Madam Chen shielded it with her body. "Um, no! No. They all look so alike, don't they?" She shooed Mrs. Murrey to the door. "Well, I can take care of things from here, thank you very much! Your class is unattended and probably breaking things by now, so… Bye, see you after lunch!" She closed the door behind her.

"Man, she gets on my nerves," she muttered. She glanced back at Alex. "Ah! I mean, um…"

"I can relate," the girl said.

"Right," the principal said, a hand on her head. "Well… I want to apologize that your first class was so… turbulent, Alex. I think you will enjoy Mr. Roi's class more. I very much look forward to seeing what you do there."

"Thank you, ma'am," Alex said after a moment.

"Ma'am!" Madam Chen said, smiling. "You're so polite."

"I give back the respect I get, ma'am."

Madam Chen looked back, surprised. "How interesting." She sat at her desk and jotted something down. "Well then, Alex, I'm afraid Mr. Roi's class isn't until midnight… So how about a study period until your next class? I trust you'll be able to find it?"

"Yes," Alex said, pleasantly surprised.

"Before you go, a few warning words about Mr. Roi…" Madam Chen said, her face dark. She brightened quickly. "Not that he isn't a great teacher, we're so lucky he's teaching here!" Her eyes darkened again. "But just so you know…"

Alex stared, mouth slightly agape. "I see."

"But he is a _great_teacher, you'll really learn a lot," the principal said quickly. "Just, um, keep track of the fire exits. And try to stay on his good side. He tends to turn students into newts and kittens on a bad night."

"Th-thank you for the warning," Alex said. She started leaving.

"My pleasure. Study hard!" Madam Chen called after her.

"Okay. Bye." She walked out, closed the door, rummaged through her bag, pulled out her handbook, and looked at the map. "Okay," she said, closing it. "Start with the basement."

She took a step forward only for a flame to flare up in front of her face.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, jumping back.

A make-shift envelope addressed "Alexius Treveney" fell out of the flame and landed in front of her feet. She leaned down, picked it up, and unfolded it.

"Fourth floor

Follow" Whoever had written it had drawn an O with a back slash through it.

"Fourth…?" Alex muttered to herself. "There wasn't a fourth…" She looked up at the back wall of the staircase and noticed the symbol drawn into it.

She sighed and started walking.

Ten walked down the hall, munching on an apple, a book under her arm. She paused, her eye catching a dark stain on the corner of the wall. Her fingers reached out and wiped some of it off.

_Fresh blood?_

She heard a rustle from the room across the hall and froze.

She knelt down, placed her book and apple on the floor, picked up a battle ax hanging on the wall, silently walked over to the room, and peeked around the door.

Daemon was sitting on the couch, a book in his hands.

"Teacher, you're back!" Ten said, beaming. She walked over to him and noticed the sleeve of his jacket was stained red. "Uh, there's blood, on your–"

"It's not mine," he cut her off, flipping through the book. "Just did some asking around."

"Oh, okay," Ten said, mildly relieved.

"Who's reading this?" Daemon asked, holding up her Korean language "homework".

She froze. "U-uh. Mine, that is mine. I'm-I'm studying Korean."

"What is it about?" the older Hunter asked.

She paled. "It's-it's about, um…" Determination took over her features. She placed one foot on the arm of a chair and pointed upwards like she was giving an important speech, the battle ax making it even more melodramatic. "It's about a cursed warrior and a princess who travel together to find a magic artifact that will help them save the kingdom. The princess is kind of lame and keeps getting kidnapped by bandits so the warrior has to save her, like, five times in this volume, like he's got nothing else to do… but he, like, loves her or something, so I guess it's okay. And the princess has a sister who's really cool and has this secret power to pick so much butt and–"

She froze, embarrassed.

She set her foot down and turned away calmly. "At least that is my understanding. My reading comprehension is still beginner level, but I am building my vocabulary and memorizing thirty new words daily."

"This is the warrior?" Daemon asked, pointing.

She looked over. "Yes."

"Thought it was a girl."

"No, the girl is the one with the boobs."

He smiled a little. She grinned back.

"Teacher!" Cassidy said, surprised, standing in the doorway. Teresa stood behind him.

"Uh, is that…?" she asked as they got closer.

"The blood's not _his_, come on," Ten said, smiling and waving it away.

"I meant the, uh…" the older girl started. "He's holding a _comic_...?"

"Cassidy, status report," Daemon said.

"Last perimeter check at 9:30, everything's secure," the boy responded. "We're studying, Marina's recovering. Terrence, Noh, and Jay are still unconscious."

"Teacher, something's happening to them," Teresa said. "Their skin is–"

"I know," Daemon cut in. He stood up.

"Where is Marina?"

A dark hand touched Noh's cheek.

"Will she be okay?" Marina asked, looking up from her spot next to the unconscious girl.

Daemon didn't respond for a moment. "The Chase family wants you back. They set a meeting."

Marina stared. "W-what?"

"I'm assuming you still don't want to go back," he said, feeling Terrence's forehead.

"I don't," she said desperately, "I don't want to, I want to stay home."

"You will. I'll take care of this."

She sighed with relief.

"Teacher," Cassidy said. Daemon turned to him. "They weren't reminding her to take her medicine. The supply was barely touched."

Daemon was silent for a moment. He turned and started walking away. "Right. This'll be a short meeting."

Jaq walked up to him. "Teacher, is–"

"Working on it," Daemon said, cutting the other Hunter off. He turned back to the five of them, then looked back down, his hand on the door handle. "We are Hunters. Dying's part of the job. Start getting used to the thought."

He closed the door behind him.

Marina huddled over Noh, sobbing uncontrollably. Teresa put a hand on her shoulder.

"What are you crying for?" Ten almost yelled at the girl. "He'll fix it, you know he will! He–" Her gaze lowered to the ground. "He can do anything."

Daemon stopped in front of the stairs, overhearing the words.

No. He couldn't.

He kept walking.

Daemon walked along the side of the seemingly abandoned warehouse, the street lamps unlit.

He looked threatening, with his hood over his head and his dark cloak.

He looked up at the ajar window about ten feet above him.

He jumped through.

"He doesn't have the seer with him."

"Well, meeting's a meeting. Let's hear what he has to say. Lights."

The lights clicked on, illuminating an intimidating-looking group of men and wolves.

"You-you said he'd bring the seer," one of the men said nervously. He was the man who'd discovered Daemon's note. "Why doesn't he have–"

"Shut up," the man standing next to him said, smiling. He looked strange. He was tan, and his eyebrows and the slightly-more-than-stubble around his chin were a shade darker, but his spiky hair was light gray, even though he looked young. His heavy muscles, pointed ears, and slit-pupiled green eyes added to the effect.

"Hello, Gray," Daemon said, carefully keeping emotion out of his voice.

"Hello, Daemon," the gray haired man said. "Was kinda hoping you'd save me some trouble and bring the girl."

"Hm," Daemon said, pulling his hood back. "Not Boar's style. I'm going to assume he doesn't know about this."

"He's-he's out of town on business," the first man to speak said nervously. "We need to have the seer before–!"

"Before he comes back and fires all of their incompetent asses," Gray interrupted. "Literally. So I'm getting paid very handsomely to conduct the negotiations for her return."

"She won't be coming back," Daemon said coolly.

Gray was silent for a moment. "Well, that's… final. She's not interested in continuing to get paid ten million dollars a month? They're willing to double it. Triple it, if she wants. seers that are still sane are rare; we realize that and are ready to offer a competitive salary."

"She's more interested in keeping her mind intact."

"Oh, right, the medicine." Gray slung his arm around the shoulders of the man next to him. "This guy here will explain."

"We'll make sure she takes it, I swear!" the other man said quickly. "The only reason we weren't before was because there was a rough patch in the stock market and we needed her to be able to work, so–"

Daemon gave him a death glare.

"Uh," Gray said quickly, covering the other man's mouth. "This guy here will shut up now."

"You just admitted to deliberately endangering the seer's health," Daemon said coldly. "In direct breach of her contract." He turned away. "This meeting's done."

"Whoa, hey!" Gray said, alarmed. "Wait! I still got important things… to say."

He fired an arrow from his sleeve.

Daemon caught it easily.

He dropped it, alarmed, a burn mark now on his hand. "Veres."

"That's right!" Gray said brightly. "Best Hunter poison you can't get anywhere…" His face turned cold, a cruel smile on his lips. "Unless you have a wealthy sponsor willing to pay anything to get their seer back."

The men surrounding the Hunter pulled out crossbows and guns.

"In case your wondering–yeah, these all have veres on them," Gray said, still smiling. "And guns are, well… guns. Though word of mouth has it bullets don't really work on you. Is that true?"

The Hunter didn't respond.

Gray chuckled. "Not like you'll tell, right, man? The great Daemon. There are _legends_about you, did you know? Seriously wild stuff. They say you could single-handedly level an army. Break an enemy's bones just by looking at them. But you know what I noticed? You don't really _do_ any of that. You bleed the same as the rest of us. You use weapons to fight. All you really do is talk big and stalk around looking important. And _no one_challenges that. Except for me. I'm calling your bluff, Hunter, and taking the seer back. And you're probably thinking, 'Well, you'll never find the safe house the seer's at.'" Gray laughed. "Wrong."

Daemon turned to him, alarmed.

"You see," he continued, "not all Hunters are as willing as you are to walk all over their relationship with the shifters' community. Some are willing to stay friends, and help out, as friends do."

"Council business?" Teresa asked, looking at the security monitor in front of her. "What does the council want with us?" She thought a moment. "I remember this guy from yesterday. He was at St. Luc's. I think a student of his died."

"Well he has the password," Cassidy said, standing next to her, "and he's definitely one of ours. Opening the door."

The man had scruffy hair. His eyes were still glazed over.

Gray chuckled to himself. "As for you… I don't think we'll even need a grave. So how abou–" He turned to the Hunter and shut up, wide-eyed.

Daemon was encased in blue flame, his glaring eyes glowing white.


	13. Chapter 13

**Nightschool chapter 13**

"Shoot him!" Gray yelled.

The guns and crossbows all went off at once, all aimed at the Hunter in the middle of a pillar of blue flame.

He raised his eyes and the arrows and bullets all crumpled in midair and fell to the ground.

"Gray," Daemon said simply. "Just to correct the rumors." The burn on his hand sizzled and faded. He took his wrist in his other hand and looked at the weapon-littered ground. "I don't need to actually _look_at anyone… to break their bones."

A small, choking sound escaped Gray's mouth, his bones cracking into fragments.

He crumpled to the ground, landing on his side and twitching in pain.

"As for leveling an army…" the Hunter continued, rubbing his hands together. "Let's see… It's been some time."

The group, man and wolf alike, charged at him.

He dropped down and hit the ground with his fist.

They flew back.

Daemon straightened and stepped forward, each footprint surrounded by a web of cracks, energy swirling around him.

The group screamed in pain, broken bones and deep cuts appearing from nowhere.

Daemon just kept walking forward.

Marina peeked into the room and walked over to the only conscious occupant, holding a tray with a sandwich and glass of juice. The Hunter was still wearing the gray and black hoodie and sweatpants.

"Jaq, eat something," she said, concern clear on her face.

The Hunter glanced up at her, then looked back down at Jay.

"Not hungry."

There was a loud _RUMBLE_and the glass rattled against the plate in Marina's hands.

The two stiffened.

Marina looked at Jaq, wide-eyed. "That wasn't your sto–"

"Shhh!" the Hunter said, jumping up.

_SKREEEEEE_

"Wha…?" Marina whispered.

A thick piece of metal slid over the window.

"Wh-what's…?" Marina started, fear starting to come over her face.

"Perimeter's been compromised," Jaq explained, suddenly looking defensive. "Someone's in the house."

Cassidy grabbed hold of the wolf lunging at him.

"Fall back!" he said.

"We have to hold the entrance!" Teresa insisted, dodging bullets next to him, a scratch across her cheek.

"I can handle it!" he insisted, throwing the wolf into three men aiming guns at them.

"Whatever, Cass!" she said, kicking one of the attackers in the jaw and causing the man's head to snap back. She flipped back off of him, flats landing firmly on the ground. "No way I'm leaving you alone with this traitor."

The man from St. Luc's stood in the middle of the group.

Jaq looked out into the empty hallway and sniffed.

"Shifters."

Marina pushed past. "Oh, we have to warn–"

Jaq grabbed the back of her jacket.

"Gyah!" the seer said, dangling from the Hunter's hand.

"Where are you going?" The teen looked exasperated. "You can't fight. You're not like us, remember?" The Hunter let her go and stepped in front of her, making sure they were still hidden.

"But–!" Marina tried.

"They can take care of themselves," Jaq interrupted. "If you want to worry, worry about yourself. And them." The Hunter pointed at the three unconscious teens behind them.

Marina looked back, worry etching deep lines into her face. She turned back and pulled on Jaq's hood. "Jaq, Jaq, Jaq!"

"Shhh!"

"Jaq," the seer said desperately, "it's me they're after, so if I go, maybe they…"

The Hunter turned to her. "I thought you hated it there."

"But what if they kill you!" Her small hands covered her mouth and tears leaked from her eyes.

Jaq smiled, just a little. "We're kinda tough, you know. Don't bury us yet." The Hunter turned back to the hallway. "Besides, teacher said you're staying home. You've got a problem with that, you take it up with him."

Marina's eyes widened.

She grabbed the back of the Hunter's jacket and leaned her head against it, still shaking with tears.

Jaq paid her no mind, only stared out into the hall. "Now how the hell did they find us…?"

The man from St. Luc's was leaning against the doorframe, calmly watching as the Hunters ripped apart his army.

He started walking.

Cassidy whipped a wolf into one of the men and threw another against a wall.

Teresa's eyes were almost solid black as two wolves lunged at her. She punched out with her fist and a wave of energy sent both flying.

Cassidy pushed himself off of a wall and kicked another of the men in the head. Teresa punched the man in the side, sending the gun flying out of his claw-like hand. She kicked him through the door.

He skidded along the floor until he hit a foot and stopped suddenly. He looked up.

Ten was standing over him, a wolf over her shoulders.

"'Sup," she said calmly.

She kicked him back through the door.

Cassidy and Teresa, who were right in her line of fire, dodged effortlessly.

The man flew in between the Hunter from St. Luc's and another man standing at the other end of the room, screaming, and landed several yards behind them with a _THUD_.

The man next to the Hunter stared ahead for a moment, mouth agape, the slit-pupiled eyes that declared him a shifter wide, the thick white scar over his right eyebrow twitching.

He quickly turned to the Hunter, short, spiky black hair brushing against his face. "ARE YOU GOING TO JUST STAND THERE?"

The Hunter said nothing.

The other man scowled, revealing sharp teeth. "COME ON, FINISH IT ALREADY! THEY'RE JUST #$%ING KIDS!"

"No, they're not," the Hunter said.

The other man looked at him. "Huh?"

"No student of Daemon's is _just_a kid."

The other man wiped his mouth with one claw-like hand. "Yeah, well, that guy's deader than dead right about now, so…"

The Hunter was silent for a moment, then looked away. "Use veres."

The other man glared. "#$% you! Gray said, 'as a last resort.' THAT #$%'S EXPENSIVE!"

The Hunter shrugged. "It's the only way you'll take them down. Unless you want to fight until Daemon gets back… And folds you several times the wrong way."

The man's head snapped back and he flew into a pole. He sat up and growled.

A choking sound escaped from his mouth as his bones cracked.

He slumped.

Gray looked at his broken army, still unable to move. He twitched.

He heard a footstep.

The steps grew closer. He squeezed his eyes shut.

Daemon grabbed his hair and made him look up.

"H-how…" Gray started.

"You are wondering why I don't do this more often," the Hunter said, looking at the crumbled bodies. "An army, is that what they say…?"

He brought the shifter's face closer to his own. "Thing. I could raze this _city_. Sometimes I'm tempted."

"But-but you never–" Gray started.

"No," Daemon said evenly. "Takes a good reason." He slid a finger along the shifter's forehead, leaving a burn. "Don't give me one again."

He dropped his head, stood up, and started walking. "You'll heal. Broken bones and spines – nothing shape-shifters' bodies can't knit back together. Just don't move for a few hours."

Gray's face–the only part he could still control–tensed.

Daemon looked back over his shoulder. "And if my students are dead… We'll talk again."

He walked away.

Marina still cowered behind Jaq.

The Hunter watched the hall carefully, still waiting for an attack.


	14. Chapter 14

**Nightschool chapter 14**

"Man, this $#% really works," the man with the scar said, a crossbow in his hand.

Teresa and Cassidy were lying on the floor, covered in thick, vein-like lines of red, writhing in pain. She was clawing at the ground, an arrow in the back of her right shoulder. He had a deep wound along the right side of his collarbone.

Ten was curled up a few feet away, covered in similar lines, clutching her chest, eyes open wide, mouth open in silent screams.

"Not so tough now, are ya?" the man with the scar said, grinning cruelly. "What, the indestructible Hunters can't handle a bit of poison?" He laughed.

"Do you not know what it's made from?" the Hunter from the sanctuary asked.

"Huh?" the shifter said, turning to him.

The two of them looked down at Ten, whose neck twisted grotesquely.

"Hunter's blood," the older Hunter said. "More specifically, the blood of Hunters who've killed humans. We're not supposed to, you see. It's humans we protect, and it's night things we kill. If we betray our natural function… this happens. Our blood runs like acid, hurts like seven hells…. There're graduations, of course, and gray areas. For example, harming a human without killing them has slightly milder consequences. Not as lethal. Builds up veres resistance, even. There are ways that–"

He blinked, snapping out of it. "No students left and I'm still in teacher mode. You things get all that?"

"Uh, yeah…" the man with the scar said, looking at him strangely. "Why you telling us this?"

The Hunter was silent for a moment.

"You've been pretty useless."

His arm whipped up, snapped the shifter's neck, and threw him against a wall.

The Hunter walked up the stairs and over to the slightly ajar door. He pulled it open, crossbow in hand, and looked around.

The only people in sight were Jay, Terrence, and Noh.

He glanced around again, walked over to Jay's bed, and aimed the crossbow at his head.

He paused, seeing the small clump of light hair next to the boy's head.

Actually, the three clumps of hair next to his head.

Swirls of light sprung from them. They formed three fair-haired, faceless figures in gray and black sweats, with claw-like hands.

They lashed out at him, clawing at his face and dodging any attack he tried.

The man's eyes turned determined and he quickly knelt down and moved his arms back, swirls of energy surrounding them and diminishing the doubles.

The man wiped the corner of his mouth and stood up, grabbing his crossbow. "Clever kid. Can you do more than three?"

Five more swirls started forming.

The man heard a small _scrape_above him.

"Gotcha," he said, aiming the crossbow upwards. He fired.

It imbedded deeply into something, but it never hit the ceiling.

Jaq turned visible and fell, an arrow now protruding from the younger Hunter's chest.

The doubles snapped out and simply turned back into pieces of hair.

"You kids are good," the older Hunter said. "Way he trains you, you're like night things yourselves. Fight the enemy with their own tricks, huh?"

Jaq hit the ground, now covered in red vein-like lines, butchered hair half-covering a face seemingly frozen mid-scream, one hand grasping for the arrow but not even having enough strength to reach it. The younger Hunter made a small choking sound.

"You should come out now, Miss seer," the older Hunter said, reloading his crossbow. He moved a white drape. Marina cowered against the far wall of the semi-hidden room. "We need to finish talking."

She looked and saw the Hunter on the floor, writhing in pain, wide, glazed-over eyes looking upwards.

"Jaq!" she cried, running toward the fair-haired teenager.

The older Hunter grabbed her arm. She cried out.

"Almost dead and going fast – don't you mind him," he said indifferently. "Now, what was it you were trying to say back at St. Luc's?"

"W-what?" the seer asked, looking at him with wide eyes. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"

"We've met, girl," he said after a moment. "Yesterday."

"I-I don't…" she started.

"AT ST. LUC'S!" he yelled, shaking the girl. "THINK! Your lot was there with…"

_Teresa turned away and left, letting the tent gently close behind her. The man got up and stepped out, watching Cassidy find them another spot._

He stiffened and turned around, sensing someone behind him.

Daemon stood there. Marina clutched his cloak from behind.

The two of them took in the body, the darker-skinned man calmly, the girl fearfully, wide-eyed.

"This was my son," the scruffy-looking man said, seeming too worn for his voice to show any emotion.

Daemon turned away. "He'll be missed."

"I know where to find the scum that did it."

Daemon glanced back. "You didn't kill them when you saw them?"

"They were gone by the time I found him," the unfortunate man said. "But I know who they are."

"How?" the darker-skinned Hunter asked.

"I JUST DO!"

Daemon turned back toward him, Marina still hiding behind him. "As per the treaty, you need evidence before making a raid. Do you have it?"

"THE TREATY NEEDS TO ROT IN HELL!" the paler Hunter yelled. "Daemon, it ties our

hands_. It gives night things rights they shouldn't have. We fight, we die in nameless graves, and they melt back into the shadows. And once the trail goes cold, we can't touch them. They can act innocent even when they're _guilty_."_

"Some really are innocents," Daemon said after a moment.

The other Hunter flared up again. "THEY ARE ALL GUILTY OF BEING NIGHT THINGS, EVERY SECOND OF THEIR UNNATURAL LIVES! You look at my son. His soul was ripped to shreds and fed back into him. He couldn't tell which way was up or down when I found him–clawing at his own face, trying to get at the pieces, trying to make them fit."

A small crowd had gathered. He paid them no mind. "Ten years of the treaty and they are starting to forget. They forget who we are, what we can do to them. They get cocky, they no longer run on sight. They are starting to talk back! Why do we put up with it?"

"Because we're supposed to be the good guys." Daemon wasn't looking at the other Hunter. "The treaty saves lives. I am sorry one of them wasn't your son's." The darker Hunter turned away. "He died like a Hunter." He started walking away. "As will we all."

The other man looked down, seeming almost defeated.

"Theo."

He looked up and saw Marina, now surrounded by a billowing, translucent white cloak.

"Do you want justice?"

"What did you mean by that?" Theo demanded the girl now. "Who are you?"

"I… I don't remember that…" Marina said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"DON'T LIE TO ME."

She squeezed her eyes shut, the tears brimming over, and her free hand made a small fist, raised to her face in defense. "I was…! I was off my medicine, I don't, I can't keep memories so good when I'm off my medicine, I'm sorry!"

He glared a moment, then seemed to realize she was telling the truth. "So you won't help me either. Apple from a tree, right."

He threw her down so she landed next to Jaq, the older Hunter's face expressionless.

Marina looked down at the shaking boy, worry deepening the bags under her eyes.

"Wh-why did you do all this?" she asked Theo, desperation taking over. "Just, just to ask me–?"

"No…" he interrupted. "No. He needs to know that even his students are not safe." He aimed his crossbow at the seer. "He needs to know what it's like to lose."

"What makes you think I don't?"

Daemon plunged his hand through the other man's back. It came out on the other side of his chest.

Theo turned toward him, his eyes finally not glazed over. Instead they showed an almost tangible rage.

"_You_," he growled, looking at the man behind him, the word itself seeming laced with blood.

"It's over, Theo," the woman standing in the doorway said. Her almost-white hair was in a messy, thick braid that hung over her left shoulder. Her normally light eyes looked dark with anger. She was flanked by a short-haired African American woman and a man whose shaggy hair was different shades of brown. He was carrying a deeply wounded Teresa.

The pale-haired woman walked over and kicked through Theo's stomach.

"Court-martial or hand him to the council?" she asked, handing him to the other woman.

"Council," Daemon said. "Put them here."

The man set Teresa down where he'd indicated. A moment later, she was joined by Cassidy and Ten.

"Can we help?" the pale-haired woman asked, kneeling next to Daemon.

"No, I will do it," he said, pulling out a small dagger.

"But it's four of them," she protested. "Let us help."

"These are my students," he insisted.

He made a small cut in Ten's arm and a similar one in his palm and touched the two.

Red lines crept up his hand and faded from her face.

Her eyes opened and she blinked weakly, confused. The red was gone save for streaks of blood around her eyes and mouth.

Daemon helped her sit up as she started hacking.

A moment later, Teresa and Cassidy weakly sat up, wobbling and coughing. Their shirts were both stained with blood.

Daemon pulled the arrow from Jaq's chest and touched his cut to the wound. The streaks drained from the boy's face, only to add to those on the older Hunter's body, making him look almost as bad as the other four had.

"_Damn_," the African American woman muttered.

The pale-haired woman looked away for a moment. "The boy's gonna need some Band Aids for that hole in his chest. At least let me do that!"

Daemon just pulled his hand away.

Jaq gasped and turned on his side, coughing up blood and clutching the blood-stained fabric of his jacket.

"Yeah, um, I'm just gonna take that as a yes," she said. She headed for a cabinet at the back of the room.

"This house is no longer safe," the African American woman said. "Our Clave has an empty half, if you want it."

"No need," Daemon said, helping Jaq to his feet. The younger Hunter wobbled, clutching his chest, his now butchered and two inches shorter hair covering his face.

Daemon turned to his other four students. "Pack what you want to keep."

They left, leaving the four older Hunters, Jaq, and the three unconscious teens together.

"Where will you go?" the other man asked.

"Just a place I know," Daemon said.

The man and the African American woman looked at each other and shrugged.

The man turned toward the three unconscious students. "So… what happened to these ones?"

Alex looked up the seemingly never-ending staircase, looked down the seemingly never-ending distance she'd already walked, and slid down the wall, giving up.

"Girl found dead in endless staircase=lamest death ever," she muttered.

She looked and saw her Astral near the handrail across from her.

"What are you doing?" the Weirn asked.

The Astral moved to show that the rail was twisted at intervals.

"Ah, art," the white-haired girl said, "formerly known as school property. Well, at least one of us is having fun."

She wordlessly looked back up at the symbol above her head.

She screamed in frustration and jumped to her feet.

"Is this!" she yelled, pounding her backpack against the wall. "Some kind! Of stupid joke?"

Her hands sunk through the symbol.

She stared a moment, then frowned. "You are _kidding_me."

She tweaked inside the wall, causing a portal to open up in front of her.

"Whoever you are," she muttered, "your instructions _sucked_."

She stepped through.


	15. Chapter 15

**Nightschool chapter 15**

****"Well, someone took her sweet time."

"Huh?" Alex said, looking up.

The portal had led to a small room with a large, semi-circular window, its sparse furnishings draped in white. Ronee leaned against a table, the redheaded Weirn sat on a couch, and the blue-haired student leaned against the windowsill, red demon eyes glowing, hands in pockets.

"You!" Alex said, surprised, staring at Ronee.

"Good job on getting back into the school," the older girl said.

"You remember my sister!" Alex accused.

"I do," Ronee said, looking away.

"Why did you lie?" the younger girl demanded. "Did you do something to her?"

Ronee dug around for something, not looking back at her. "Don't be stupid. It just wasn't safe to talk there."

She tossed a bag at her.

Alex caught it, surprised.

"Is that your sister's bag?" Ronee asked.

"Yes!" Alex exclaimed. "How…?"

"It was still in her office after she disappeared," Ronee explained. "Is anything missing?"

Alex rummaged through. "I'm not sure. She usually has a lot of junk in here…" She pulled out a wallet and looked up at the older girl, suddenly more worried. "Her drive's license is blank."

Ronee was silent for a moment, arms folded across her chest, looking down. "Then it's exactly the same." She looked at the younger girl. "Did she… say or do anything weird? Before disappearing?"

"Huh?" Alex asked, surprised. "Uh, no, she acted totally normal."

"Was she supposed to meet anyone? Do something she doesn't usually?"

Alex thought. "Um… No, I don't think so. I talked to her right before, she… She said there was someone at the door."

Ronee looked away.

"What do you know?" the younger girl asked.

The older sighed. "Nothing much, except… she's not the first one."

Alex looked alarmed. "Who else?"

"Students," Ronee said, still not looking at her. "All in the last three weeks. Your sister is the first teacher to disappear."

"Who are you talking about?" the demon asked.

Ronee winced. "It's like they just got erased. Gone from all records, photos. There are things still in their lockers, but no one remembers them–not even their own parents."

"Hey, who are you–?" the redhead started.

Ronee shifted out of her leaning position. "Guys, just go with it for now, okay? I'll explain later." She walked over to Alex. "They won't remember. I've tried talking to people about this, but if I mention the missing… they'd forget the conversation ever happening. So students just kept disappearing one by one, and no one was noticing. Like they were never there." She was turned away from the younger girl, arms wrapped around herself. "I thought I was going crazy." She looked back. "And then you came. Are you… her sister by blood?"

"Yes…" Alex said, surprised by the question. "Why?"

Ronee smiled mischievously. "You ever done scrying before?"

"Wait, what is this…" Alex said, kneeling outside a circle surrounded by symbols and candles, with a small pool of water of the center. Ronee sat on the other side, a blue light floating above her head, and the redhead leaned against the wall closest to them. "No mirrors? What are these patterns?"

"Mirrors are kid stuff," Ronee said easily, smiling slightly, a hand over the nearest candle. "This is the real deal, post-secondary-level blood magic. Afraid?"

Alex frowned. "This will help find Sarah, right?"

"If all goes well," the older girl said, undoing the drawstring on a small black bag.

"Okay," Alex said, taking off her backpack. "I, um… I've never done this before."

Ronee inspected a small tile engraved with a symbol. "Don't worry, this'll be my show. I just need you as the blood link to your sister." Six tiles flew around her. "I'll take care of the rest."

Alex squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then took out the cracked picture and a similar drawstring bag.

"Clarity," Ronee said, placing tiles in the three smaller circles on the rim of the larger in front of her.

Alex did the same. "Safe Passage."

Ronee gently tapped the center of the pool of water. "Eyes to see."

Alex ran her index finger along where her sister had been in the picture in front of her. "Sarah…"

The two spread their fingers along the rim of the circle.

_Alex was standing in front of an open portal, with stairs leading down it, a paper in one hand and a light floating over the other._

She looked down at the paper with glazed-over eyes. "Oh, this hallway isn't even in use tonight… This definitely shouldn't be here." She looked at the figure behind her, who was almost entirely wrapped in darkness, making any feature undeterminable. "Wait here. I'll check it out and be right back, okay?" She looked down the portal. "Hello? Is someone here? You have to keep your presentations to the east wing tonight, please!"

Ronee watched over her from several feet above, looking almost ghostly. She swooped down and peered into the shadow, trying to see the figure's face.

CREAK

Ronee turned quickly and saw that the portal had clicked shut.

"It's done."

Ronee gasped. "Dammit!" she cried.

"What happened?" the redhead, now kneeling next to her, asked.

"There was a trap, a door! I lost her!"

Alex's eyes were glazed over, her face clearly reading that she couldn't hear the conversation. Her Astral was wrapped around her shoulders.

"Remy!" Ronee said.

"Yeah?" the demon asked from behind her.

"Check the school maps from last night," she told him quickly. "See if there's a record of any temp gates in the west wing!"

"Okay!"

"Sion…!" the darker girl said, scratching a line connected to the circle. She drew a slightly smaller one on the other side, in front of the redhead. "I need you to log into the circle, but stay remote. If I'm not back in three minutes, break it."

The other girl nodded.

She placed tiles in the three circles now in front of her.

"Safe passage. Bridge of bone. Clarity. Eyes to see."

_Ronee was floating above the hall once again._

"–to the east wing tonight, please!" Alex continued. "Helloooo?"

Ronee swooped down and breezed into the portal the moment it closed.

Alex froze and looked over her shoulder.

"Wait!" she cried.

She started back up the stairs, only for a hole to appear beneath her feet.

She fell through as the steps evaporated, landing on marshy soil next to a river, the only vegetation a few broken, leafless shrubs.

She looked in and saw bodies floating just beneath the surface.

She stiffened, alarmed. Ronee looked… almost as if she recognized the faces.

A shadow crept up at them from behind. The two of them turned quickly.

Alex screamed, backing away along the swampy ground.

Ronee grabbed her sleeve.

"Ah–!" Alex blinked, her eyes coming back to life.

"Safe passage," Ronee said, holding her hand out. Six tiles swirled around it.

"Alex?" she asked the girl in her grasp, yelling over the force of the wind.

"What?" the white-haired girl asked.

"Hang on! We're going back!"

Sion's face appeared, saying something they couldn't make out.

"What?" the darker girl asked. The three of them were in a circle again, but something wasn't right. "I can't hea–"

Alex and Ronee were quickly sucked into a different scene.

They were standing in a circle, two of seven cloaked figures. Symbols were flying through the air above them.

Alex looked down and saw her feet slowly disappearing, surrounded by similar symbols.

They were in a circle around a well-like hole in the ground.

A seal.

"I suppose this is good-bye, then."

The two of them looked up and saw a dark-haired, pale-eyed man in black, ancient-looking garb. "A pity," he continued. "I would have liked to know more about you."

"This is not over."

The girls' eyes made it clear that they weren't themselves. And that they weren't saying that.

"Hmm?" the man said, not noticing. "Well, we plan to seal you and destroy the key rather thoroughly. But then again, never say never, so…" He bowed. "Until we fight again."

The girls' faces were being eaten away, symbols circling them.

_CLATTER_

Sion had thrown the tiles into the water, an almost desperate look on her face.

The other two girls gasped, the veils around them disappearing.

Sion and Remy looked at them, concerned.

"Are you okay?" Sion asked Ronee after a moment.

"F… fine," she said, on hand on her forehead.

"Um…" Remy started, holding out a stack of paper to her. "There _was_a temp gate in the west wing last night. Here."

"Ah," she said, relaxing. "Good. Thank you."

"Wh-what was that last… thing…" Alex started, looking extremely stressed and absentmindedly petting her Astral, "That guy, who…?"

"That, uh," Ronee started, looking at the papers instead of the other girl, "I'm pretty sure that was Mr. Roi. We, um, we have class with him in an hour."

Alex's eyes grew wide. "Whut."

Mr. Roi sneezed, sending papers flying and creating a large web of cracks in the middle of the floor.

"Oops," he muttered.

The figure next to him said nothing. He looked as human as a demon, with spiked black hair and a classic butler's uniform, but he looked too stiff, his face was almost wooden, and his eyes were black, almost like they were hollow.

"Sorry about that, Reau," Mr. Roi said, a hand on his face. "A bit distracted today."

"It's your office," the other man said after a moment. "Sir."

Mr. Roi stood up. "Well, true… If spectacularly inside out at the moment. And still no trace of those records. Hm."

He walked over to his desk–which was covered in papers–and tipped it over.

The other man stiffened further, alarmed, but mostly annoyed.

Mr. Roi knelt and looked in two covered compartments. "Ahh, I've checked these already." He put his forehead in his hand, elbow on the table. "I need a vacation."

"Yes. The less of you here the better."

Mr. Roi glared up at the other man. "What was that?"

"I said, your class is at midnight," Reau said, not looking at him. "You wished to be reminded. That's in an hour. Perhaps you'd like to leave early?"

Mr. Roi looked toward a shelf, the opposite direction from the other man. "Okay, Reau, be my faithful witness. I've looked everywhere, haven't I?"

"No."

Mr. Roi looked at him. "That was almost a rhetorical question, as I _have_looked everywhere."

"You have not," Reau insisted calmly.

Mr. Roi stood, looking exasperated, and brushed off his hands. "Reau, keep that up and there will be yet more office wreckage to clean up, as I will be forced to look again. Even though I already have. Every corner, every secret compart–"

He froze.

Reau continued to look at him, almost expressionless, as Mr. Roi turned to look him in the hollows that _were_his eyes. "Ah, right. Of course. My apologies. I… must confess I have started to think of you as just a fellow creature."

He held out his hand. "Open."

Reau's chest opened, a gold latch becoming apparent.

Mr. Roi pulled out a book and flipped through. He stopped and tapped the page. "Ah." It was a very poorly drawn page, with the writing in symbols. "I see my drawing skills have not improved over the centuries." He snapped and Reau's chest clicked shut. "Reau, kindly contact the Hunter and set a meeti–"

A blue flame flared up in front of his face.

"Speak of the devil," he muttered as a slip of paper dropped into his hand.

'Calling in a favor'

"Mr. Daemon is in the north hall, sir," Reau said. "It would seem he has brought young guests."

Mr. Roi turned to him, alarmed. "He what?"

Teresa looked around at the ghost-like spirits flying around them, eyebrows raised.

"Guessstsss…" they hissed.

Marina stared, wide-eyed.

"Um, sir?" Cassidy said, alarmed, almost defensive.

"Just ignore them," Daemon said, not looking at his students or the welcoming committee.


	16. Chapter 16

**Nightschool chapter 16**

"I assume there is a good explanation for–" Mr. Roi said, appearing behind the group of Hunters. He stopped, seeing the faded lines of poison on Daemon's face. "Well, _that_looks rather painful. But you've certainly had worse, so do explain…"

"They need a safe space until this is over," Daemon gestured to the three unconscious Hunters. Marina held Noh's head against her chest. Jaq hovered over Jay.

"And a Hunters' safe house would not be a better choice?" Mr. Roi asked, annoyed.

"No," Daemon said shortly. He looked back at the teacher. "Do this and we'll be even."

Mr. Roi looked surprised, then grinned evilly. "Done." He gestured to the ghost-like creatures. "Accommodate them. They are guests. Take care with moving these three. They may start breaking into pieces soon."

Marina looked up, alarmed. "Wh-what do you mean, 'breaking into pieces'?"

Mr. Roi looked down at her, surprised. "Is she the girl?" he asked Daemon.

"Yes," the older Hunter replied.

The teacher was silent for a moment. "Hm, I see. Let's talk in the west study."

"So, let me see if I grasp the situation correctly…"

Mr. Roi and Daemon stood in the library. The Hunter was flipping through the worn out book Mr. Roi had gotten from Reau, the teacher was leaning against a bookcase, thinking, Marina was sitting on the couch across the room, and Reau was holding out a plate with tea and cake to the girl.

"This Gray character," Mr. Roi continued, "he challenged your authority and attempted the take her from you?"

"Yes," Daemon said, not looking up.

"And now your Hunter safe house is not so safe," the teacher said, "and there is a were-house out there that has a new carpet."

Aka a pile of dead wolves.

Daemon sighed. "In a manner of speaking."

"An interesting aside occurs to me…" the paler man said. "Since Gray challenged you and _lost_… does that not mean you are now their alpha male?"

Daemon slammed the book shut, his face warning the other man not to say any more.

"I see, I see," Mr. Roi said, nodding and smiling. "Well, the relationship between Hunters and the shifter community has always been ambiguous at best. I… look forward to seeing how you deal with that… rather political complication."

"Are these all the notes you have?" Daemon asked, annoyed.

"No," the teacher said, "those are just the most pertinent. I plan to sum up and explain the rest as soon as you deign a seat behind your seer. So I may speak to both of you without getting a crick in my neck."

Daemon looked around, untrusting.

"Ever the wary Hunter," Mr. Roi said. "May I remind–you have been welcomed as guests into my home, and there are rules about that. Do sit, you look like you haven't slept in a year."

Marina munched on a piece of her cake, zoned out of the conversation. Daemon looked over at her, sighed, and sat next to her.

"Right," Mr. Roi said, sitting in an armchair across from them. "Now then. This was some millennia back, so my recollection of the events is not what I'd like it to be… but I do remember that it was all rather sudden. Word spread of seven children walking the realm and leaving charred cities, blood, and bones in their wake. No creature spared, human or other, no stone left standing–it was all rather apocalyptic.

"I and two of my colleagues stepped up to intervene. It immediately became apparent that… any negotiations were out of the question, as the enemy would not so much as speak its name to us. It simply crushed everything in its path as if it were a duty. We named it the Sohrem… an old word that means 'hollow wrath'. It somehow fit."

He was looking through the book of notes. "Once the battle was over and the seal was in place," he continued, "I set about reconstructing the Sohrem's origin and initial path. I was never able to find out exactly what happened. There is only so much you can get out of a dead body, unfortunately.

"One thing was certain–they were all real children before they turned. Not happy children, I should add, all carrying burdens that no child should have to bear. Exceptionally strong spirits, all seven–none of them buckling under the weight. One of them was a Hunter, of all things."

Daemon looked at him, surprised.

Mr. Roi dismissively waved a hand, smiling. "Or whatever you were calling yourselves back then. I forget. I certainly did not receive much cooperation researching _that_ lead." He turned serious again. "And then shortly after, my two colleagues felt it was high time for a power grab… and decided to bury _me_next to the Sohrem. So I was distracted with that for a little while.

"By the time I was finished… alas, the trail was cold. Keeping in mind that the Sohrem did very emphatically promise me it wasn't over… I wrote down what I could and set it aside until a better moment for research presented itself. And indeed, here you are again." He closed the book and looked at Marina.

She froze, her fork halfway to her mouth. She set it down. "But I, um. I don't remember any of this…"

"You wouldn't," the teacher said, obviously trying to sound gentle. "You and your six counterparts are brand-new vessels for the Sohrem, as I understand. Now that it's been released from under the seal…" his eyes narrowed and he glared off to the side, voice becoming quieter and sharper, "by someone I've yet to identify/locate/kill…" he looked back to Marina, voice brightening again, "it has picked its hosts and is now slowly taking root, hatching inside you, like a larva."

Marina jolted upright, dropping her plate and looking horrified. "Like a WHAT?"

"Ah," Mr. Roi said, seeing the mistake. "Perhaps a different analogy–a chick. Do you like chicks?"

Marina's horrified look didn't fade.

She blinked out of it. "I-I, wait, so, this Sohrem, it… it will make me _kill_people? And… burn cities?"

Mr. Roi thought a moment. "Hmm. I am not sure. I still do not understand the full nature of the Sohrem. But from what I was able to glean the last time, the children seemed to be fully aware of themselves and the power inside them. The Sohrem was not using them. They were using _it_… Which would suggest… that this thing, this power hatching inside you? It will be yours to use as you see fit. And if I may be so bold, I'd like to put an early vote against indiscriminate bloodshed."

"Of course!" Marina cried. "I would never do that!"

"Splendid," the teacher said.

"The Weirn girl we are looking for–she is Sohrem, then?" Daemon asked, trying to ignore the traumatized look on Marina's face.

"Yes," the other man said. "And while it may seem that she is hostile, it is very possible she simply felt threatened and… overreacted."

Daemon didn't respond.

"It doesn't matter, of course," the teacher continued. "If your students die, she will be a criminal before the treaty."

"Die?" Marina cried. "They can't die!"

"We still have a day and a night," Daemon said. "Have you come up with a way to find her?"

"Are you saying you can't do it?" Ronee asked, looking up from one of the sheets of paper.

"No, I'm saying I don't _know_," Remy said, picking up another.

"Remy, come on," the Weirn said. "You hacked every school security spell for us. What's the problem here?"

"It's different," he insisted, looking at the paper instead of her. "Those were all active, running spells. But the one that opened this gate is done and shut. Recapturing a spell pattern for something that's no longer there, it's…" He brushed his hair out of his face, which was tensed in concentration. "I have to run a trace. I have to assume a lot of the key symbols are the same as regular gates–there's just a lot of guesswork. It's the magical equivalent of button-mashing."

She sighed. "Well, try. We need that gate back."

He nodded. "I'm just saying it might a while, that's all."

"Alright," she muttered. She looked over at Alex. "Is that your natural hair color?"

The younger girl looked surprised. "Huh? Um… yes."

Ronee studied her face. "You are lying."

Alex froze, eyes wide, mouth pressed shut in an expression that could only be perceived as horror.

"It doesn't look like it's died, either," the older girl continued. "Did something happen?"

"N-nothing," Alex managed. "I woke up one day and it was like that."

Ronee studied her silently for another moment. "Curses sometimes do this. The really bad ones." Alex's eyes grew wider. "Is that why–"

She broke off, the four of them hearing the _swoosh_of a portal opening.

Remy got up and looked around the corner to see Rochelle coming through. Backwards.

"Whoa!" she said, falling back.

Remy caught her. "Oh, look who's dropping in," he said, grinning. He propped her up and let her go. "Hey, short stuff."

"Aha!" she said, grinning back. "I knew you guys would be here!"

"Don't you have a class…?" he asked.

"Mr. Kristepher sent us to the library to look for reference books…" she explained. "But I already had mine, so I snuck away." She looked around the corner and saw the white-haired girl. "Oh! Hi, Alex!" She waved enthusiastically.

"Uh, hi…" Alex said blankly, slowly waving back.

Rochelle knelt down next to the circle. "Wow, were you conjuring something?"

"No, hon," Sion said, smiling, "that's a scrying pattern."

"Ohhh, cool," the younger girl said. "For wha–"

"We were working."

Rochelle stiffened and looked up at Ronee, the only person who looked like she didn't want her there. She fidgeted. "O-oh, okay. Sorry. Can I stay? I'll be quie–"

"No," Ronee interrupted, her face expressionless. "Sorry."

Rochelle was silent for a moment, then reached into her backpack. "Well, um, Mom said you forgot your lunch." Alex looked at her, surprised. The darker girl held out a lunch bag. "H-here."

Ronee took it from her. "Thank you."

The five of them were silent for a moment.

"Well, I better go, then!" Rochelle said, too brightly. She got up and started walking back around the corner. "See you later, Alex!"

"Bye," Alex said, mildly confused, as the other girl stepped back through.

Sion looked up at Ronee. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned. "Should I go after her?"

Ronee said nothing for a moment, looking down, eyes fearful, her hands clutching her arms. She sighed, relieved. "No, I think it's fine."

"She's your sister?" Alex asked.

"Yes," Ronee said simply, almost coldly. "Stay away from her."

Alex stared a moment, eyebrow raised, then looked off to the side. "About Mr. Roi's class… can we skip it?"

Sion burst out laughing.

Alex turned to her, alarmed.

"You _don't_skip Mr. Roi's class," she said, chuckling, "ever."

Remy was grinning, too. "Not unless you're in a coma, or dead, or otherwise similarly occupied."

Ronee stood. "It should be fine… I had a class with him last night, and there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. You're new though. You'll draw attention. Hmm." She turned away. "Well, it's like they said. You don't miss Mr. Roi's class."

The students – very strange-looking students, some with wings, some with scales, some without faces – chatted amongst themselves.

Except Alex and Ronee. They kept their eyes on the double podium in the middle of the room.

"He's late," Alex pointed out.

"Always," Ronee said.

A swirl of shadow appeared behind the left podium.

Alex and Ronee flinched.


	17. Chapter 17

**Nightschool chapter 17**

Ronee and Alex watched, alarmed, as the shadow took form.

Madam Chen appeared.

"I trust you are finding this new room more… adequate…" she said, smiling, eyes closed. "Mr. Roi?"

She looked over and saw the empty podium next to her. She frowned and walked over to the nearest students, who happened the be Ronee and Alex.

"He's not in yet?" the principal asked.

Alex sighed, relieved.

"Not… not yet," Ronee managed, her heart pounding against her chest.

Madam Chen summoned a pad of paper and pen and jotted something down without looking at it, annoyed. "Oh, that man, I swear. Well, that's quite alright. I'll just page him." She tossed the paper into the air and it was consumed in flame.

Alex and Ronee stiffened, alarmed.

Madam Chen drummed her fingers on the podium.

"I am sure he will be much happier with this room," she told the four in front–Alex, Ronee, Sion, and Remy. "They're hard to get, but so worth it." She patted the desk. "These desks are flame-resistant and can resist an explosion of at least six magic levels."

Alex stared. "Do they… need to?"

"Well, advanced classes deal with very sophisticated spell patterns," Madam Chen said. "Sometimes class work goes very wrong!"

Ronee smirked. "Or, sometimes it goes very right, hmm? His ifrit-summoning assignment last week?"

Remy grinned. "A small army of very pissed-off jinn in a small suburban classroom… Epic."

Sion chuckled. "They went to _town_."

"Oh!" Alex said. "I remember Sarah bitching about this! So _that's_who she was talking about…"

"Oh yeah," Ronee said brightly, looking at the younger girl, "she had to do serious damage control for that." She turned to the other two. "Guys, remember how we had to help Miss T. banish that mess?"

"Who?" Sion asked, still smiling.

Ronee and Alex froze, the image of an expressionless woman, her wet, short brown hair hanging in her face taking over their thoughts.

They frowned and turned back to the front.

A flame appeared next to Madam Chen's head. She turned and caught the paper, her face expressionless.

She looked down at it. Her glasses clouded over. Her hand started shaking.

Sion and Ronee stared, curious.

The principal burst into blue flame.

A mirror appeared in front of her enraged, almost contorted face.

"Saved connection–Mr. Roi, private line," she growled, teeth bared, obviously struggling to keep from yelling it.

The note read "Cannot attend class, busy with experiments".

The mirror on Mr. Roi's desk blinked on. Reau glanced up from reorganizing the books and walked over.

"Madam Chen," he said, trying hard not to sigh, seeing the fuming woman.

"WHERE IS HE?" she more-said-than-asked through her teeth.

The glass actually cracked.

"He is…" Reau managed, "occupied at the moment."

"She is not your lab subject," Daemon said through his teeth, holding a sword to Mr. Roi's neck. Marina hid behind the Hunter.

"Ah," the teacher said, only slightly nervous. Which was impressive considering the expression on the other man's face. "Did I say "experiments"? What I actually meant was… a mutual study! A-a furthering of knowledge for both myself and the young lady." He leaned to look at the girl. "Don't you want to find out more about your power?"

"I will tell him that you called," Reau muttered.

The now-cracked mirror blinked off.

Madam Chen glared at the mirror for another moment.

The flame hissed out.

She was silent for a moment, twitching in closed anger. She slowly created a small ball on energy in her hands. "Well, you will not have a teacher today. A study period instead, I think." She cleared her throat and spoke into the swirling object between her palms.

The words, "A.T.A. is needed to monitor Mr. Roi's class… All available T.A.S. please report to Madam Chen," echoed through the halls.

She waited a minute. Nothing happened.

She frowned.

"P.S. Mr. Roi is not actually here; you'll just be watching the class!" the make-shift P.A. system said, annoyed.

Nothing.

"I do not have time for this!" the principal cried.

She vanished.

A moment later, a portal opened up where she'd stood. She dragged someone through.

"But I'm not qualified…!" the other person protested.

"It's just a study period!" she insisted. "They'll be reading books and being quiet!" She looked at the class. "Right, Mr. Roi's class? You'll be good?"

"Certainly, Madam Chen," Ronee said, smiling too brightly.

Sion's smile looked more mischievous. "Model students, that's us."

"U-uh," the other person said, wide-eyed. He actually wasn't bad-looking, but didn't seem to be the brightest. He had a donut in one hand and coffee in the other and seemed unaware of the facts that he had papers falling from where they were tucked under his elbow, had shaggy black and brown-streaked hair half-concealing his face, and was wearing an argyle sweater in the middle of a class full of (demonic) teenagers.

"Well, that takes care of that," Madam Chen said, straightening her shirt and turning to leave. "I have a meeti–"

"Wait, um!" the young man said, strange eyes darting to the night principal. They were a plain shade of green, but the whites were black and the pupils were slitted. "I-I mean, um…" he stuttered nervously, "s-surely the night keeper is a better choice to substitute for Mr. Roi? Is… is Miss Treveney not in today?"

Ronee and Alex froze.

"Who?"

"Miss, um, Tre–" he started, confused.

"Look," Madam Chen said. "Eron, was it?" A malicious gleam came into her eyes and she loomed over him, despite her noticeably less impressive stature. "You are to monitor this classroom for the next two hours. END OF CONVERSATION."

"Okay," he squeaked.

"Good luck," the night principal said pleasantly.

She disappeared into a swirl of shadow.

Eron nervously glanced back over his shoulder.

Ronee and Alex were still staring.

Reau was still replacing books.

In a room down the hallway, Mr. Roi was gesturing, winds swirling around him. Daemon stood behind him. Marina sat in the center of the room, in the middle of a circle engraved with symbols, surrounded by swirls of light.

She slowly opened her glazed-over eyes.

The two men stared at her intently.

She sneezed.

"Oops, I'm so sorry!" she semi-panicked, her hand flying to her mouth. "D-did I screw up your spell?"

Mr. Roi was silent for a moment. "No. Though it obviously did not achieve its intent, regardless." He folded his arms across his chest. "I was rather counting on it to work. That was the best evocation spell I currently know. Well, I'm out of ideas. If you say I can't employ more aggressive techniques…"

"You can't," Daemon said, not looking at him.

"Even though I am 99% sure the Sohrem will react to protect her if she is threatened," he continued, "same as with our Weirn girl."

"And if it doesn't?" the Hunter asked, almost-white eyes looking at the teacher.

Mr. Roi was silent for a moment. "99% are _excellent_odds. You know both you and I would take that."

Marina tilted her head, a strange expression coming over her face.

"Answer is still no."

"Trap," the girl whispered.

Daemon and Mr. Roi turned to the seer, alarmed.

She blinked, waving her hand in front of her face and smiling lightly, not looking quite sane.

"That had a…" the teacher started, "certain tone of lucidity."

Daemon kneeled in front of the girl. "What is today's date?"

She thought deeply. "Um, Oct… June? No, no, Mart. I mean March."

Daemon sighed and raised a hand to his face. "Her medication is wearing off. She'll have to take it again soon." He looked back up at her. "What do you mean by 'trap'?"

Her eyes glazed over. "Trap. Danger. I have to stay hidden." She pointed to Mr. Roi. "From him." She pointed to Daemon. "From you." She thought deeply. "Why, though?"

The men stared at her, waiting for her to say something else.

She looked up, face bright and eyes wide again. "Is there more cake?"

"Ahhh, I see," Mr. Roi said after a moment. He looked at Daemon. "I think the Sohrem remembers me, and is purposefully staying hidden. Which would certainly explain why I have not felt any unusual power fluctuations from her. And which would also suggest a degree of intelligence, or at least rudimentary cognitive capabilities of some sort. Fascinating."

"That means as long as you're around, it will not show," Daemon pointed out, not looking at the other man.

"Yes," Mr. Roi sighed. "Same goes for you, Hunter. And I think we both know why."

Marina looked off, humming to herself.

"Well," the teacher continued, still looking at the Hunter, "since you object to all of my ideas, any of your own?"

Daemon said nothing.

Ten and Teresa leaned against rocks surrounding the waterfall-fed hot tub they were sitting in.

"Uh, thanks," Ten said, taking the towel appearing next to her. She pressed it against her face, annoyed. "Can't believe they're _making_ us take a bath. What are we, five? I didn't have that much dog blood on me. Teacher had like a gallon on his shirt; I'd love to see them try to make _him_take a–"

"Ten," Teresa interrupted, eyes closed, looking exasperated at the younger girl, her left hand on her right shoulder, "give it a rest. Best hot tub ever. Just enjoy it."

Ten continued glaring off to the side for a moment, then looked at the older girl. "Okay, tell me this. Am I the only one feeling like we're in the lair of the nightest night thing that ever nighted? In all of time?"

"Nope," Teresa said simply.

"How does Teacher know him?" the half-pinked-haired girl continued. "They're obviously not friends… obviously not enemies."

"It's none… erk…" Teresa started, setting her right shoulder, "of our business, Ten." She straightened her arm against the rocks and turned it at the shoulder. "Ahhh, much better. My big question is… it's a sprawling mansion, right?"

"Yeah, I think it's inside a mountain or something," Ten said, smiling, her face suddenly brighter.

"Right, right!" Teresa agreed, reaching for the towel behind her head. "Like, it's taking over the world, it's so huge." Her fist tightened and her teeth ground against each other. "So why the hell… DO WE GET A JOINT BATH!"

She threw the towel across the pool so it slapped Cassidy across the back.

"Whatever, we're not looking," he said, resting his chin in his arms, set on the rocks, his glasses set down in front of him.

"Cass, you _better_not be looking, your glasses are off!" Teresa pointed out.

He was silent a moment, then closed his eyes. "I'm being careful."

"Grr," she muttered, sinking down a bit and leaning her head back against a rock.

"Don't try to pin this on anyone, Reese. You're the one who told the attendants we didn't want to be separated in this nest of evil. They just took you literally."

"Yeah, well, I didn't see you objecting or anything!" she snapped.

"What am I, stupid?" he muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she yelled.

He caught the bar of soap she flung at him, not opening his eyes. "I said please tone it down… Let Jaq rest."

"Oh, hey, Jaq," Teresa said, her attention directed to the other boy, who had his hair half-pulled back. "How are you feeling? That was a pretty big hole in your lung."

He didn't say anything for a moment, his fingers gently touching where the arrow had lodged. "I'm fine."

"You said that before," Teresa observed, "but now you're not gargling blood, so I believe you."

"Man, veres frikking hurts," Ten said, clutching her shoulders. "I can't believe he'd help them use that on us–we're his kind!"

Teresa shuddered. "Yeah… Hey Cass, do you think that stuff hurt the old man as much as it did us?"

"It must," he said after a moment. "He has better self-control though, obviously. As opposed to us."

"Yeah, we all went down like a sack of bricks," Teresa said, her arms wrapped around herself. She was silent for a moment.

Her hand lashed out and broke a rock a couple of feet away from her. "DAMMIT! He told us to protect Mar! He must think we're useless now!"

"N-no, he doesn't…" Ten said, looking at her nervously. "We fought the best we could."

"It wasn't good enough," Cassidy said simply.

The four of them were silent for a moment.

Teresa snatched the towel and stood, quickly wrapping it around herself. "I'm going to find a place to train."

One of the ghostly attendants appeared in front of her.

A small, startled sound escaped from her throat.

"Yyyyou have been ssssent for," the attendant hissed. "Pleasssse get dressssed and follow me."

Mr. Roi stood in the background, leaning against a wall. Daemon stood a few feet in front, and Marina stood right in front of him. The men looked at the other four, waiting to see their reaction. Marina looked almost desperate.

The four said nothing. Ten, Teresa, and Cassidy's mouths hung slightly open. Jaq was as expressionless as ever.

"Oh, wow," Ten said, wide-eyed. "So, um… if Mar is like that Weirn girl… is she an enemy?"

Marina flinched. "No!" she cried. "I would never hurt anyone!"

"Best knowledge is that she is not," Daemon said. "But we won't know for sure unless the Sohrem shows itself again. That's the part I will leave to you. The assignment is still the same–watch over her." He pushed Marina toward them. "If the Sohrem shows up, negotiate as needed. The difference is I won't be around." He tossed a pad of paper to Cassidy. "This will be your only way to contact me."

"You are still guests in this house and can make full use of whatever you need," Mr. Roi said. "The attendants will help you use the gates to wherever you wish to go."

"Any questions?" Daemon asked.

"Teacher…" Ten started nervously, looking at the ground. "Tonight, with the shifters. How did we do?"

Daemon was silent for a moment. "Careless." Ten flinched and looked away. "Sloppy." Teresa and Cassidy tensed and looked away, too. Jaq was the only one to remain calm. "Marginally better showing from Jaq, but overall poor combat planning from all. Who can tell me why that happened?"

Cassidy slowly raised his hand.

"Cassidy," the older Hunter said.

"Too many easy vampire/shifter kills," the boy said, looking at the ground. "We got comfortable, lazy."

"Yes," Daemon said. "The stakes just went up. Get serious and pay attention. You can all do much better. Good luck."

Mr. Roi disappeared into a swirl of shadow and Daemon walked away, leaving the four Hunters and one seer staring after them.


	18. Chapter 18

**Nightschool chapter 18**

The bell rang.

Mr. Roi's class poured into the hallway, grumbling among themselves.

"That sucked."

"Yeah."

"Man, longest two hours of my _life_."

"So boooring…"

Sion and Remy hovered just inside the medieval-style doors, watching the rest of the class leave.

Once everyone else was gone, they slipped out, closed the door, and leaned against it.

"So, I can just leave these class notes for him with you, then?" Eron asked, handing Ronee one of the two manila envelopes in his hands. Alex hovered behind her.

"Yes, I'll pass them on," the older girl said.

"Thanks a lot," he said, slightly nervous. "That's one less chance for Mr. Roi to kill me for doing something wrong!" He forced a laugh. "And thanks again for keeping a lid on everyone. I've heard horror stories about people subbing in this class. L-literal horror stories…"

"Uh," Ronee said, looking away. "They're mostly not true."

"Miss Treveney would've been so much better for this," he muttered, heading toward the door. "Gonna go find her…"

Ronee and Alex looked at each other.

"He'll find out soon anyway," Ronee whispered. Alex nodded.

The older girl reached out and grabbed the sub's sleeve.

Time ticked by. Remy was getting bored, while Sion was inspecting her nails.

"D-disappeared?" Eron asked, wide-eyed. "What…"

"_Gone_," Ronee said. "No records, no pictures, no memories, except for us. We remember for some reason."

He stared a moment, then thought, looking away. "So that's why Madam Chen didn't… Wow." He looked back at Ronee. "S-so, what does that mean? Is she gone forever? I-is she… dead?"

"No!" Alex exclaimed. "She's not." She looked away. "We-we did a scrying and there was this… I dunno, like a _bog_or a swamp. It reeked of magic, and there were people in the… water." She paused, realizing how that sounded, and folded her arms across her chest. "But not dead. Asleep. They were asleep. It was obviously some sort of enchanted water, or they'd be rotting." She looked back up at him, as if daring him to say otherwise. "She's still alive."

"A bog?" he asked, confused. "How did she get there?"

"There was an unauthorized temp gate last night," Ronee explained. "She went though it, never came back out. We're trying to recapture the spell pattern for it, open it again."

"Y-you're going to go _in_after her?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes."

His eyes got even wider. "But what if you end up the same…"

"Look," Alex said firmly, "I'm not leaving my sister in that place."

He stepped back a little, alarmed at the intensity in her voice.

"When was the last time you saw her?" Ronee asked.

"Uh, last Thursday?" he said hesitantly. "I'm only here a couple of days a week. I'm actually first-year university."

"Did she seem afraid of anyone?" the older girl asked. "Mention anything?"

He thought. "No, she was the same as always. Smiling and laughing." He looked away, lips pressed together from straining not to smile. They didn't notice. "So, uh…" he started, smiling hopefully. "We are going to save her then, right?"

"We?" Alex asked, confused.

"Well, can I help?" His hopeful look didn't fade.

"I dunno, can you…?" Alex asked, not unkindly, but skeptically.

Eron, stiffened, surprised and indignant. "Uh, well, I, er…"

He couldn't think of anything.

"Right," Alex said, turning away. "Well, thanks for offering, anyway."

"Wait!" he said suddenly. "That, um, that magic bog you mentioned, it… it sounds familiar… What if it's a recorded site? Have you tried looking it up?"

"Not yet," Ronee said. "Was going to."

"I can do it!" Eron said, childish joy coming over his face. "Let me! Save you some time!" The girls stared blankly. He turned around, still grinning, and started talking to himself. "One of my profs is a historical artifact buff. I bet he'd know something… Can catch him at his morning classes, yeah, yeah!"

"Okay, go for it," Ronee said, smiling for once. "Let us know if you get something."

The girls turned and started walking to the door.

"I just have one question," the teacher said.

They stopped and turned back to him.

He whipped out a pad of paper and a pen. "What, um, what's your sister's favorite flower….?"

Ronee facepalmed.

"Uh, flower?" Alex asked, confused. "I don't know…"

"What about chocolates?" Eron asked, smiling.

"Huh?" the white-haired girl asked, eyebrows knitting together. "What does that have to do with–"

She froze.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER, YOU, YOU… NERDSTER!" she yelled.

An annoyed Ronee dragged the hissing and screaming girl out of the room and past a surprised Remy.

"Hey, Eron guy," Ronee said, poking her head back through the door. "If you find something useful, I'll set you up with Miss T."

Eron beamed.

Alex bounced behind her. "WHAT? HEY, NO!"

Ronee slipped back out and closed the door.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Alex yelled at her. Remy and Sion watched, amused. "WHO DO YOU THINK–!"

"Look, we need all the help we can get, okay?" Ronee said, cutting her off.

"But!" the younger girl complained.

"It's okay," Ronee assured her. "It's not like he has a chance, anyway–your sister's head over heels for Mr. Roi."

Alex froze.

The younger girl bowed her head and leaned it against a wall, steadying her wobbling form with her left hand. "Oh, that's even worse."

"Is she, like, into older guys or something?" Ronee asked.

"Sh-she is…" Alex muttered.

"Ah, I see." Ronee turned around and the three older students started walking. "Oh well, you didn't think your sister would stay single forever, did you?"

She kind of did.

"Okay, so here's the plan," the darker girl said. "Remy, you said you need at least the day to test the gate symbol combinations, right?"

"Yeah," the demon said. "Maybe longer…"

Ronee looked back at Alex. "If we find anything before then, we'll send a letter again. If not, see you tomorrow night." She turned back to face the direction in which she was walking. "Later."

Alex stared after them for a moment, then set her expression to determination.

She started walking. "Okay. Library, then."

Ten stared at Marina. "Still nothing?"

Teresa and Cassidy stood over them, watching Marina with the same intensity.

"I don't think so…" the seer said. "I feel the same."

"Dammit," Ten muttered, covering her face.

"Sorry," Marina apologized.

Ten looked up at Teresa. "How long has it been?"

"Just a few hours," the older girl assured her. "There's still time, Ten. Take it easy."

Ten looked at the ground, hugging her arms, knees pulled up against her chest. "What if it never shows?"

Cassidy was silent for a moment, then looked away from the rest of the group. "Ten's right, we can't just waste away the night waiting… But what _can_we do?" He ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, let's try to problem-solve. According to Teacher and that guy, she has some sort of power inside her, just waiting to be unlocked. What are some ways to do that?"

"Well…" Ten started, standing, "that Sohrem stuff _kind_of sounded like our "Umbra Spiritus", so… training?"

"Training, okay," Cassidy agreed. "What kind?"

Ten looked away from the two older Hunters. "All I can think of are those cheesy martial arts movies…" she said. "With waterfall training and a billion steps leading up to the top of some mountain."

"Well, there's a waterfall here…" Teresa muttered. "And roughly a billion stairs…"

"Physical training?" Cassidy pointed out. "She can do maybe half a push-up."

"S-sorry," the seer said.

"What about meditation?" Teresa suggested hesitantly. "It's probably the easiest…"

"Uh, easiest?" Ten asked skeptically. "Let them who have not fallen asleep during that raise their hand."

No one did.

"Yeah, thought so," the youngest Hunter muttered.

"Argh, what else is there?" Teresa cried.

Marina looked up at them, scared of the desperation.

"Well, meditation's… helpful…" Ten said. "So mayb–"

She looked back and saw Jaq by one of the many entrances to the open room.

"Jaq!" she said, surprised. "What… How are the others?"

He looked at her, his normally expressionless face filled with hatred.

He turned away. "Dead."

The five of them ran into the room where the three of them were being kept, Jaq leading the way.

Teresa froze, seeing Jay's white, almost stony appearance.

All three were like that.

"But…" she started, eyes wide. Cassidy came to a stop next to her, his expression almost mirroring hers. "That, that Roi guy said we have until tomorrow mor–"

Jaq looked back over his shoulder, teeth bared. "They stopped _breathing_. What do you call that?"

Marina froze next to Noh, her hands covering her mouth, eyes wide. She reached out one shaking hand and gently touched the girl's cheek. "Nadia."

"This is your fault," Jaq said from the back of the room, head down, shoulders stiff.

Marina looked up, tears streaming down her face. Ten was looking down at Terrance, seemingly in shock, while Cassidy was standing next to Jaq, and Teresa was watching the two of them.

Cassidy put a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "Jaq, no, it was the Weirn girl."

Jaq lashed out and sent him flying. "SHE IS THE SAME!"

"Jaq, what the hell?" Teresa exclaimed, jumping in front of the blond, who was now incased in blue flame. "Calm down!"

"STAY BACK," he said through his teeth.

Cassidy stood up, leaving a stone pillar webbed with cracks. "You are not the only one losing family, Jaq!"

"Jaq…" Teresa said, staring at the enraged boy.

He screamed and punched back, causing the stone pillar behind him to crumble.

He turned and started walking. "I'm done waiting. I'm going to look for her myself."

He stopped and turned around, surprised.

Marina stood over Noh, head bowed, a white cloak billowing around her.

She looked up, tears still leaking from her eerily glazed-over eyes. "I'll go with you."

The four Hunters stared at her.

"M-Mar?" Ten asked, eyes wide.

The cloak disappeared, but the seer's eyes didn't return to normal. "Yes." She reached out and touched Noh's chin. "It's alright. It says… that this wasn't fair. It will help us… We have to… go back to where this began."

"The cemetery, okay," Cassidy said after a moment, taking the notepad out of his jacket pocket.

It disintegrated in his hand.

Marina had her hand held out, the cloak reappearing.

"Without them."

Alex shivered and glanced around, one hand on her locker. Her Astral glanced along, floating next to her.

She narrowed her eyes. "Okay, weird creepy-crawly feeling. Not enjoying that."

She rustled through the almost-non-existent contents and sighed, leaning her head against the edge of the door. "No letter. Tomorrow, then…"

She looked back up and froze, surprised.

Her Astral was tucked into the small shelf near the top.

She stared wordlessly for a moment, trying not to sigh again. "Yes, you can fit into small spaces." She tugged her down by her chin, smiling a little. "C'mon, time to go home."

A group of students passed by her, laughing.

Rochelle glanced back from the fringes of the group and saw the other Weirn. She walked over. "Oh hey, Alex, there you are! You weren't at lunch. I was looking for you."

Alex looked at her. "Uh, yeah, I went to the library."

"Oh," the darker girl said. "Are you going home?"

The other girl wasn't looking at her. "Yeah, they're closing the school soon. What are you still doing here?"

Rochelle smiled. "Oh, we're going to sneak up to the lake, say 'bye to the mermaids. Want to come?"

"Er, no," Alex said, closing her locker. "Saw enough mermaid to last a lifetime today."

"Rochelle, c'mon, let's _goooo_!" one of the girls in the group called.

"Go ahead, I'll catch up!" Rochelle called back. She turned back around and saw Alex starting to walk away. "Wait, Alex!"

The other girl stopped. "What?"

Rochelle held out a spiral-bound, sticker-decorated notepad. "Uh, I was just… I wanted to give you this. If you ever need anything, just let me know."

Alex looked down at the paper, then back up at the younger-looking girl. "Why are you doing this?"

"What do you mean?" Rochelle asked, surprised.

Alex turned away again. "Look, I'm not going to be your friend."

"That's okay," Rochelle said. "I'll be yours."

Alex froze and looked back at the other girl, who was still holding out the notepad. "Huh? _Why_?"

"Um," Rochelle said, looking away nervously. "I dunno… You seem like you could use one?" She started looking in the other direction, then looked at Alex and froze.

The other girl's hair flashed darker as she stood shock-still, eyes wide.

_Let'ssss be friendssss_

She clamped her hands over her ears, eyes squeezing shut, her hair snowy again. "Shut up," she whispered. "Shut. Up." She looked up at the other girl. "Stay away from me!"

She ran for the door.

Rochelle looked down, and, to her confusion, saw Alex's Astral.

A moment later, the Astral flew after her Weirn and Rochelle folded her now-empty hands over her chest.

The Hunters and Marina stood in the cemetery.

Marina looked up, eyes still glazed, and pointed. "Follow to Hellgate."

Teresa made note of the direction. "Hellgate Bridge is that way."

"Her door," Marina said. "Three times two."

Ten looked at the other three. "Bet it's a house number. Either six or 222."

"Only one way to find out," Cassidy said. He started walking. "Let's go."

Teresa was right behind him.

Ten put a hand on the seer's shoulder, grinning. "Way to go, Mar." She followed the other two.

Jaq looked at Marina. "When we find her. What will we do?"

The seer looked up at the Hunter. The cloak reappeared, billowing around her face. "Kill. Spell reverses. Time goes back."

Jaq smiled.

They walked on.


	19. Chapter 19

**Nightschool chapter 19**

Alex stared out of the window of her apartment, hugging her shoulders.

She looked back at the table, set for two, one plate filled with food, the other empty.

_Sarah…_

She walked over to the full plate, covered it in plastic wrap, and mechanically put it in the fridge.

She curled up in her bed, her eyes staying wide open. Her Astral slipped under her hand.

She sat up. "I should try N.Y.P.L. It's bigger, has more books. They might have something."

She pulled on her jacket, ran into the bathroom, grabbed her toothbrush out of the medicine cabinet, and closed the mirrored door.

A frowning girl her age with several ear piercings, short, black hair and gray, glazed-over eyes appeared next to her reflection. Marina. "You have something that's not yours."

Alex whipped around and stared at the bathroom, empty other than herself and her Astral.

She grabbed her head, messing up her hair. "AH! What the hell? What's going on?"

She heard voices in the hallway.

She stiffened, then looked out.

"You won't find a better price for this size apartment. In Manhattan all you'd get would be a closet."

"Ha. So true."

"Whose things are these? It looks like someone's living here."

"Oh, um, did I mention it comes fully furnish–"

Alex slid through the kitchen and in front of the three people in her living room. "What are you doing?"

A woman with small black horns sprouting from her short hair and large, iris-less eyes with slitted pupils was standing in front of a young, human-looking woman with shoulder-length hair and a bang swept into a barrette and a tan demon man with a shock of light hair.

The older woman looked at Alex over the rim of her glasses, alarmed. "Who are you?"

"I'm Alex!" she exclaimed. "I live here!"

"That's… not possible," the apparent real estate agent said. "No one's been renting this for two years."

"Yes we have!" Alex cried indignantly. "That's how long we've been here!" She gestured to the cluttered room. "Does this look like an empty apartment? We live here, my sister and me!"

The adults were silent for a moment.

"U-uh, well," the real estate agent started. "There's obviously been some sort of mistake, then… I have no active lease for this apartment. Can I see your copy?"

"Yes!" Alex ran over to the fridge and groped along the top. "It's… She keeps it here…" She grabbed an envelope and held it out to her. "Here, see?"

The realtor pulled the legal document out and looked at it. She turned away and pulled out a phone. "Alright, I just need to make a call."

The other woman pulled out the papers, the man looking over her shoulder. "It's blank?"

Alex whipped toward the woman on the phone.

"Yes," the realtor whispered into it, her hand semi-cupped over her mouth, "uh, what's the line for child services? Or should I try the police first?"

Alex froze. The younger woman said something, but she couldn't make it out.

The girl jumped back, swatting away the hand reaching out for her.

She turned and ran, her Astral hissing at the woman.

She ran into her room, slammed the door shut, and braced herself against it.

One of them knocked. "Kid? Hey, kid, we just want to help!"

She glared back, then looked back at her too-neat room and tried to think fast.

"Hang on, I'll ask her," the realtor said into the phone. She walked over. "She locked the door?" She held out her hand and the door handle sizzled with magic. "Guess I'll have to get this replaced." She turned it and walked in, looking at the ground. "Now, let's not be stupid…"

She looked up and froze, seeing the open window and Alex gone.

Alex ran down the sidewalk, eyes closed, rain pelting her, surrounded by people with umbrellas.

She slowed down and looked back, panting slightly. She bumped into someone and looked forward, clutching the straps of her backpack.

She pulled her hood over her head and took off jogging, head down.

Ronee, Sion, and Remy sat around a table at Café Nocturne. The girls played with the straws in their sodas.

Remy sat with his head bowed over a notebook and dozen or so paper balls, elbows on the table, fingers digging into his head and messing up his hair.

Sion watched, smiling. "Oh, good job, Ronee. He's totally obsessed with this."

"It's just these last six symbols!" he exclaimed, not looking up. "This pattern is so ancient, who would even use gates like this anymore?" He crumpled up another piece and added it to the quickly-growing pile.

"Easy, genius spell-geek," Sion said, "your human glamour's slipping. Left eye."

"Oh, whoops!" he said, looking up and waving a hand in front of the eye, making the usually gleaming, solid red object look human. "Thanks."

Sion looked back over at Ronee. "Hey, Ron, why is he doing this, again?"

The darker girl took a sip of her soda and picked her book up. "It's important."

One of Remy's paper balls hit her on the forehead.

"_Why_is it important?" Sion asked, looking mischievous and hunched down so only her face was visible over the table, one finger nudging a ball. "The masses demand to know."

Ronee stared. "The masses."

"That's right," the redhead said, a sly smile creeping onto her face. "Me and my paper-ball army."

"Argh, death by straw to your paper-ball army!"

"Eek! Attack, attack!"

A compact sitting on the table blinked.

Ronee stopped and looked over. She picked it up and flipped it open.

"Er, Ronee?" Eron asked through it.

"Hello, Eron," Ronee said, eyebrows raised. "How did you get this number?"

"Oh, um, I'm kind of a teacher, sorta, so I, er… I looked you up in the student records? I know it's probably a breach of privacy, but I thought under the circumstances…"

Sion held up a sign that said 'OMG STALKER'. Remy grinned.

Ronee smiled and shook her head. "What do you want?"

"I just need more details about that swamp?" the teacher said, unaware of the comment. "Was it, um… did it have a sky? Any trees?"

"No, neither. Just some very short and very dead shrubbery."

"Hmm, could be a bog, then… Something not in this realm, if there wasn't a sky."

Ronee nodded slightly. "Yeah, agreed. You found something?"

He leaned his chin on his hand and looked almost defeated. "Well, my professor recommended some research papers… It's a lot, though. I'm still combing the index for possibilities… Hey, um. This is kind of unrelated… But I actually looked up Sarah's, I-I mean Alex's number first."

"And?"

"Well, I called it, and she wasn't there. Someone else picked up, some lady. She started asking me all these questions… So I hung up…"

Sion shook her head in exasperation.

"And you're telling me this because…?" Ronee asked as the redhead snickered and held up another sign: '_TOTAL_STALKER'.

"Well, I, it's just… I mean, with Sarah, er, gone… Who could it be?"

"Look," Ronee said, mildly annoyed, "you can ask Treveney all about it at school tonight. Do you have any information, or are you just wasting my time?"

"Uh," Eron said. He smiled nervously. "I'll, uh… I'll call back when I have something. 10-4!"

"Ugh," the darker girl muttered, snapping the compact closed. The other two laughed.

"Eron Inc. = 'Tools 'R' Us,'" Sion commented.

Ronee tapped the compact against her chin. "Hey, Remy."

"That's my name!" the demon said, smiling and sketching in his notebook.

"You looked at Brat Treveney's student file and there wasn't anything, right?" the darker girl asked.

"Nope," he said, not looking up. "No curses or special conditions listed. Of course, she filled it out herself, so…"

"What about her shadow record?"

"Everything's in those, yeah," Sion said, looking at the boy instead of the speaker. "That's deep archives, though. Nowhere near public access records."

"Could you hack that?" Ronee asked, turning back to him.

He looked up, surprised, the human eyes making him look younger. "I think so," he said after a moment. "But, uh, to actually open someone else's shadow record, that's…"

"I'll assume full responsibility if we're caught," the darker girl said.

The other two just stared for a moment.

"Again I ask: Why are we doing this?" Sion said.

Ronee brushed a few stray braids out of her face, head bowed over the table. "Because… It's important. She's lying, and I need to know why. I can't explain it better until this is over." She looked up at them. "If you want to back out, that's cool. But if you're in, you need to trust me."

The other two looked at each other.

"I trust you," Remy said, twirling a pencil between his fingers. "And I don't get caught. We're gonna need her full name and birth date."

Alex huddled under an overpass, her hood over her head, arms around knees pulled up to her chest, head bowed. Her Astral was half-wrapped around her shoulders.

She stared at the ground another moment, then pushed her hood back. "Homeless. Okay." She slipped her backpack off and shook the contents out. "Huh. Thought I grabbed more than that… Money… One, two, three… Only eight bucks." She sighed and shifted through. "Spell stuff, clothes, dry socks… I'll have to dry my shoes somehow… Argh, forgot my toothbrush…" She looked up, her expression cynical. "Tragedy, geez."

She put everything back in and hugged the bag to her chest, feet dangling over the edge, eyes wide with worry. "Okay. Kind of like a camping trip, right? By myself. And when Sarah's back, then…"

She stood up and shouldered the bag. "Alright, I'll need to find a gate to get me to school tonight. I'll need the address… Address… is in the handbook."

She froze, eyes wide. "The handbook."

"A few hours ago now," the realtor said into the phone. "I have no idea who she is or where she went, no. Apparently she is enrolled in a public school, uh…" She walked over to the table, picked up Alex's student handbook, and flipped through. "Benjamin Theron Public School 13W."

"Wait here in case she comes back?" she cried a moment later, slamming the book onto the table. "I'm working! I have appointments! Don't you have, I dunno, people you could send?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, you know what, never mind. I'll try to drop by here again later, and if she's back, I'll let you know." She hung up and started walking to the door. "Useless. So late… I'd better call them."

She slammed the door behind her, leaving the room seemingly empty.

A dark form slowly materialized.

Teresa appeared against a wall, Jaq on one of the bookshelves, and Cassidy by the gate.

"Interesting," Teresa said, walking a few steps forward. Jaq jumped down and landed next to her.

"Ten, Marina, you can come in," Cassidy said into the kitchen.

Ten materialized in front of a counter and Marina peeked around the corner, eyes still glazed over, now wearing Cassidy's jacket over her own.

"So she left before we got here…" Teresa said, looking at the table. "But she forgot her school things."

"Think she'll come back?" Cassidy asked the seer.

She was silent for a moment. "She hasn't decided yet."

Teresa looked away and didn't say anything.

They waited.


	20. Chapter 20

**Nightschool chapter 20**

****

**"I need the address," Alex said, clutching her head. "I need it by tonight." She looked behind her. "I could try going back… but she mentioned _police, child services_. What if…?"**

**She straightened, fists clenched at her sides. "I'll have to take the chance."**

**Her Astral looked up at her for a moment, then started coughing.**

**Alex turned to her, alarmed.**

**A notepad, decorated with stickers, hit the ground.**

**"Is that…" Alex started, staring that the guardian. "That girl's? Is this Rochelle's? Why did you take it?"**

**Her Astral picked it up and held it out.**

**"You're wrong!" Alex cried. "I don't want it!" She turned away.**

**Her Astral let it drop.**

**The Weirn stared at the ground for a moment, then turned around and snatched it up, lips pressed together. "If I just ask for the school's address… that should be okay."**

**She sat down on the edge, took out a pen, scribbled on the pad, and clicked the pen closed. "She's probably asleep by now, anyway."**

**The paper flamed up in front of her.**

**'are you there?**

**ALEX! HI!  
>HOW ARE U?<strong>

**Alex stared. "Uh." The paper flared up. "Wah!"**

**She turned to her Astral, desperate. "What do I say, what do I say?"**

**She tossed it across the ridge and clutched her hands to her chest, eyes wide.**

**Her Astral coughed, and a book landed next to her.**

**'Civil Conversation for Idiots – with CD-ROM!'**

**The Weirn stiffened. "I definitely do not want that!"**

**She turned and stared at the notepad for another moment, then slowly reached out.**

*******

**Ronee walking into the apartment building, closed her umbrella, and stopped for a moment. She sighed and kept walking to the elevator.**

**A minute later, she stepped into her apartment. "I'm home."**

**"You're back!" Rochelle said brightly, poking her head out of the kitchen. "Just in time! I'm making pasta! Seafood – shrimps and scallops!" She ducked back in. "It turned out kinda dry for some reason, but it's edible…"**

**Ronee put her umbrella with the others and started taking off her shoes. "Hey, how well do you know that Alex girl?"**

**The other girl was silent a moment. "Um, not very, I guess. Why?"**

**"You should stay away from her."**

**Rochelle froze in the middle of stirring as Ronee came into the kitchen. "R-really? H-how come?"**

**Alex was sitting on a stool, bag pulled to her chest, eyes wide and unblinking, still not sure how it all happened.**

**Ronee stared at her a moment. Alex stared at the ground.**

**The paler girl started to get down. "I, um, I should go."**

**"No, no, stay!" Rochelle insisted hurriedly, motioning for her to sit back down. She turned to her sister. "It was me! I talked her into having dinner with us."**

**Ronee stared. "What?"**

**"She can't go back home," Rochelle explained. "There are strange people there! Can you help her?"**

**Ronee directed her attention to the other girl. "Strange people?"**

**Alex looked away. "The lease is blank. Landlady came, she wants to rent it out."**

**Ronee was silent for a moment, then folded her arms across her chest and looked away. "You can't stay here."**

**"What?" Rochelle said, wide-eyed. "I asked Mom, she said–"**

**"Whatever," Alex cut in. "Didn't plan to."**

**"Huh, why?" Rochelle exclaimed. "Where will you g–"**

**"I can take care of myself," the white-haired girl said, interrupting again. "I just need the school's address."**

**"Done," Ronee said.**

**Rochelle's hands clenched into small fists. "Wait!"**

**The other two turned to stare at the slightly panting girl.**

**"You…" she started, turning to her sister. "You're kicking her out…?"**

**Ronee stiffened. "S-she doesn't want to stay."**

**"You are not making her welcome!" the younger girl insisted.**

**The older flinched, hugging her arms. "You don't understand…"**

**"It's raining, it's cold!"**

**The older girl shook slightly. "She has a _curse_…"**

**"She doesn't have a home!"**

**Ronee set her jaw and turned away from the other girl. "Shut up, would you just–!" she yelled at the floor, eyes closed. "I HAVE THE RIGHT TO PROTECT MYSELF!"**

**Rochelle stood shock-still, staring at her sister. Alex watched, surprised.**

**Ronee looked up at her sister, eyes wide. "W-wait, that didn't… I didn't mean…"**

**Tears started brimming in the younger girl's eyes.**

**Ronee's eyes grew wider. She slowly extended a hand toward her sister, desperation coming over her face. "No. Don't. _Don't_."**

**A single tear streaked down Rochelle's cheek.**

**Ronee screamed in pain, arms flying across her chest.**

**Rochelle looked down, surprised, and noticed she was crying. "Oh."**

**Ronee hit the ground hard, writhing, tears brimming in wide eyes, mouth open in a silent scream. Only a small, choking sound escaped her throat.**

**"Ronee!" Rochelle cried, dropping down next to her. "I'm sorry!"**

**Alex could only watch, eyes wide.**

**Ronee squeezed her eyes shut and ground her teeth together, blood flowing out of her mouth and ears and tears leaking out of her eyes.**

**"I am sorry!" Rochelle said desperately. "I am so sorry!"**

**"S-stop…" Ronee struggled to say. "Stop crying…"**

**The older girl's Astral popped into view and jumped at the younger girl, causing hers to appear to block it.**

**Rochelle quickly wiped away the tears. "Okay, okay, I stopped! I'm fine, see?" she said desperately. She covered her eyes. "Three hundred and ninety-eight… three hundred and ninety-seven, three hundred and…"**

**Ronee slowly opened her eyes. She closed them again and turned onto her back, panting. "Hide," she managed.**

**Her Astral disappeared.**

**She slowly opened them again, gripped the corner of the wall, and pulled herself into a sitting position.**

**She slumped against the wall, breathing hard, streaks of blood running from her mouth and ears. Rochelle huddled against the counter, head bowed, hands still over her eyes, her Astral rubbing against her wrist.**

**Alex stared, wide-eyed.**

**Ronee looked up at her. "You weren't supposed to see this."**

**Alex stiffened, alarmed. She looked over at Rochelle, who was slowly lowering her hands. She looked back at Ronee. "Does it… happen every time?"**

**The older girl was quiet for a moment as she wiped the blood from her lips. "When she cries. It's slightly less dramatic if she's just upset."**

**Alex looked at the other girl. "So that's why you are so peppy all the time."**

**"I try," Rochelle said sadly, petting her Astral and looking at the ground.**

**Alex looked at the older girl, who was trying to sit up straight. "And this is why you rule the school with an iron fist?"**

**She looked up at the paler girl. "You're quick." She gripped along the wall and tried to stand. "Let's just say my health has gotten much better… ugh… since people learned you just don't mess with the Leiburne family." She righted herself, leaning against the wall and wobbling slightly. "And before you ask, no, this is not like your curse. This is a magical condition. It happens in families from old bloodlines, and it's incredibly rare. Apparently the usual outcome is that… the receiving sibling kills the other at an early age, just to stop the pain."**

**Rochelle still stared at the ground.**

**"But enough about me," Ronee said. "Now tell her why you can't be best friends forever."**

**Alex stiffened and looked at Rochelle, who now looked up at her expectantly.**

**Alex shifted away and looked at the ground. "I had a best friend once. She killed herself and blamed me for it. Her mother cursed me at the funeral with the Neren Hex. She was arrested and inhibited before they could make her reverse it. No one could do anything about it after."**

**"Neren Hex?" Rochelle asked, mildly concerned.**

**"An elden hate curse," Alex explained, not looking at her. "Basically, I'm not supposed to display affection for anything. For people, especially. Or things will happen to them."**

**"Things?" Ronee said, gesturing for her to go on.**

**Alex looked over at the bowl on the counter. "I actually really love pasta."**

**It exploded.**

**The other two stared.**

**"The curse's keywords are 'love', 'like', and such," Alex continued. "I try not to say them. They focus the curse's power, like a lens."**

**Ronee raised an eyebrow. "Could this be the reason your sister disapp–"**

**"No!" Alex said quickly. She wrapped her arms around herself. "No, I was very careful, especially after… um… she almost died once. But we learned to deal. As long as I didn't say anything, and used enough negatives, the effects were… milder. Her chair would break sometimes, and she'd fall. Or sharp things would always face her hands in the cutlery draw, stuff like that. Nothing, um…" She lowered her hands and looked at the remains of the bowl. "Nothing final."**

**The other two were silent for a moment.**

**"So you can have friends, then?" Rochelle asked, not looking at her. "If you're careful?"**

**Alex gave her a withering look, then lowered her gaze. "Do you know what friends really are? People who know exactly where to hit so it hurts for the rest of your life. Don't need any more, thanks." She shouldered her bag. "Look, I'm all for making this easy for everyone." She looked up at Ronee. "I need the school's address, and I need my sister back. You need to find out who's messing with your turf and to keep the dangerous element away from your sister. And just FYI, as soon as Sarah is back? I'll stop haunting you and your stupid school. So, common goals, right?"**

**The older girl nodded. "I'll get you the school's address." She walked away.**

**A moment later, Rochelle said something Alex couldn't make out.**

**The paler girl turned to her. "What?"**

**"Um, I said…" Rochelle started nervously, still holding her Astral to her chest, "n-not all friends leave."**

**Alex jerked back, her hair flashing darker.**

**"Look, do you have a death wish?" she cried. "You heard your sister, stay away from me!"**

**She ran out.**

**Rochelle was silent for a moment, then looked over and noticed the other girl had left her notepad on the stool.**

*******

**"She's not coming," Marina said, glazed-over eyes looking down at the table.**

**Jaq looked up from the book in his hands so that all four were looking at the seer.**

**She put her hand on the handbook sitting in front of her. "But she'll be at the school tonight."**

**"Are you…" Cassidy started, "linked with her? Do you know where she is right now?"**

**Marina put one hand over her eye. "She's in this city."**

**Aka _New York City_.**

**"Er," Ten started. "More detailed location?"**

**Marina looked up at her. "Not good with maps. You know this, Hunter."**

**Ten raised an eyebrow and glanced back at Jaq.**

**"The cities have changed," the seer said after a moment. "The people have not."**

**She blinked quickly, her eyes returning to normal. "Is anyone else hungry?" she asked nervously.**

**Cassidy and Teresa looked at her, surprised.**

**"We'll, uh," Teresa said, "we'll get you something." She took a step closer to the younger girl. "Say, Mar, how are you feeling? You haven't taken your medicine."**

**"Oh, I don't think I need it anymore." The younger girl waved her hand in front of her face. "I can control the vision flood now." She laid her head down on the table, smiling, eyes glazing over again. "Like a filter in my mind. Feels great."**

**Teresa and Cassidy looked at each other.**

**"Well," Teresa started, moving toward the door, "if she's not coming, we can run to the corner store and get you some food." She nudged Cassidy. "Right, Cass?"**

**"Yeah," he said, nodding. "You guys stay here just in case. We'll be right back."**

**Marina jumped up out of her chair. "No. We will all go."**

**The co-leaders froze, their backs to the seer, faces grim.**

**Cassidy turned back around, plastering on a small smile. "Alright. No need to hang around here, I guess. How about something hot?"**

*******

**Rochelle swept the kitchen floor. Ronee wiped down the counter behind her.**

**Rochelle glanced at the older girl over her shoulder, then quickly turned back to the broom in her hands.**

**Ronee pressed her lips together in annoyance. "What?" she snapped, whipping around to face her sister.**

**Rochelle stiffened, surprised, and glanced at the older girl. She quickly turned back to the broom.**

**"Just say it," Ronee insisted reluctantly. "We'll both feel better."**

**"I just…" the younger girl started almost nervously. "I understand things need to be like this. I am grateful you protect me. I… I still remember middle school, when you weren't there… Why do people hurt others for fun?"**

**"Power trip, I told you," Ronee said, kneeling down and going through a cabinet. "Power over others is a natural high. Everyone wants to get some."**

**Rochelle looked back at her, thinking, and turned around to face the other girl. "When you protect me… Do you do it… for yourself? Or for me?"**

**Ronee froze, now standing up straight.**

**She folded her arms across her chest, not turning to the other girl. "I don't even know anymore."**

**Rochelle was silent for a moment. "Oh."**

**After another moment of silence, Ronee started walking. "I'm going to bed."**

**Rochelle watched after her, then plastered a small smile to her face. "Okay. Sleep well."**

**She looked down and kept sweeping.**

*******

**"Ew, did you get onion rings?" Teresa asked Ten, who was sliding in next to her.**

**The Hunters sat at a diner booth, Marina on one end, Cassidy standing next to her, Jaq in the middle, Teresa next to him, and Ten in the process of sitting on the other end.**

**"Oh, whatever," the half-pink-haired girl said, smiling. "Tomato-eater."**

**"What's wrong with tomatoes?" Cassidy asked, sitting down.**

**Marina looked up at him, putting a handful of fries into her mouth and blushing slightly, her eyes back to normal.**

**Ten made a face. "They're squishy and gross, that's what! There's nothing worse!"**

**"Yes there is, yes there is!" Marina insisted.**

**"What?" Ten asked, putting an onion ring into her mouth.**

**"Internal organs," the seer said, making a face. "Like, brains and liver and stuff."**

**The other girls automatically looked grossed-out.**

**"Hey, liver's okay," Cassidy said, smiling. "Squishy."**

**"Augh, thanks a lot," Teresa complained. "I just lost my appetite!"**

**"Sorry," Marina said nervously.**

**"You won't need this, then," Cassidy said, grinning and reaching across the table to grab a handful of Teresa's fries.**

**She smacked his hand. "Hey, no, eat your own!"**

**Jaq raised an eyebrow, watching the four that actually had food.**

**"Yeah, well," Cassidy started, sticking them in his mouth, "if you really want revolting, then–"**

**"No, no," Marina interrupted, laughing, "no more, let's just eat!"**

**Teresa looked at the blushing younger girl talking to the older's best friend, then nudged Ten, giving her a meaningful look.**

**The darker girl turned to the seer. "Hey, Mar, you still cold?"**

**"Oh, she's _fiiiiine_," Teresa said, grinning. "That's Cassidy's coat keeping her warm, right?"**

**Marina froze mid-sip of a glass of water.**

**Cassidy turned to her. "Oh yeah, is it warm enough?"**

**"Of _cooourse_ it is," Teresa said evilly.**

**"Yes, fine, I'm!" the seer panicked, blushing madly. "It's fine! Um! D-do you need it back?"**

**"I think you guys should share it," Teresa said, smiling innocently.**

**Marina jumped up, horrified, her face fire engine red.**

**Cassidy stared, confused.**

**"I forgot to wash my hands!" the younger girl exclaimed, dashing off.**

**"Keep her there," Teresa told Ten.**

**"'Kay," the darker girl said, standing, "will try."**

**Teresa turned to the boys. "Okay, fast–I don't care what that Roi guy said, we cannot trust this Sohrem business."**

**Cassidy nodded. "Agreed."**

**"It's helping us," Jaq countered.**

**Teresa turned to him. "It's taking over Marina!"**

**"You don't know this," he insisted calmly.**

**"Look, you ever heard her talk like that?" Teresa said. "Back at the cemetery? Casually talking about _killing_ someone?"**

**The blond looked away.**

**"We can't contact Teacher," Cassidy pointed out, "so we're on our own."**

**Teresa put her head in her hands. "Why does he refuse to have a cell phone?"**

**"We could use the Leyli–" Jaq started.**

**Mar–No, the Sohrem, they could tell by the eyes, appeared in front of them. "What are you talking about?"**

**The three were silent for a moment.**

**"What do you want, Sohrem?" Teresa asked.**

**"To help you," the seer said pleasantly.**

**"We need to speak to our mentor," Cassidy said.**

**The Sohrem's eyes turned black. "No."**

**Every window in the diner exploded.**

**Jaq looked at the shattered pane of glass behind him, alarmed.**

**"No night lords until I am whole," the seer said. "And then we will see."  
><strong>


	21. Chapter 21

**Nightschool chapter 21**

It was raining. Hard. And windy.

But Daemon just stood against the brick building and watched the sky.

A dark form slowly materialized to his right.

"Have you found anything?" the darker man asked Mr. Roi.

The teacher sighed. "No. Only several dead ends. Whoever is behind all this… They have gone through a great deal of trouble to cover their tracks."

"They don't want to be noticed until it's too late," the Hunter said.

"My thoughts precisely," Mr. Roi agreed. "Which certainly makes me wonder… when exactly that will be."

Ten kicked through the brick wall.

"I'm just saying–why can't it be true?" she continued, stepping through. "If Teacher's one of the night lords, it would explain so much. The things he does, the people he knows, what he's taught us."

"Because he is a _Hunter_, Ten," Teresa said, stepping through behind her. "The thirteen are of the Night World–do you see the problem there?"

Ten said nothing. She slid down the ladder that led from the ridge they were on and dropped the last several feet, landing in a crouch.

She brushed off her hands as Teresa and Jaq dropped down behind her. "Well, true, but I've been thinking about that." She looked at them over her shoulder. "Hunters don't mix with night things, okay, but that aside–the thirteen are… are… What? _Who_? No one really knows. They come and go as they please, they kick ass and don't stay for interviews. If one of them was a Hunter–who'd know? Who'd _complain_?"

Cassidy dropped down behind them, carrying Marina on his back.

Teresa and Jaq just stared at Ten.

Teresa looked back. "Cass?"

"We can't worry about that now," he said, setting Marina down. He started walking. "We have a Weirn to hunt."

Marina followed. Ten and Teresa stared a moment, then followed, too.

"Jaq, her classes start at 9:15, right?" Teresa asked.

The blond flipped through her planner. "Yes. But homeroom's at 9:00, in room…" He froze. "There's a message." He held the planner out to the other three Hunters. Their eyes widened. "We have her planner… Think she'd have another way to know about this?"

Rochelle blinked awake to the noise of the storm, her hair frizzed up. She looked out the window at the slanted rain. "Oh, wow." She frowned. "Alex…"

She walked into the living room, clipping barrettes into her hair. Ronee was sitting on the floor in front of the couch, in her pajamas, with two mirrors floating in front of her.

"You stayed up all night working on this?" the older girl said to one of them. "How much do you have left?"

"I'm on the last two symbols," Remy said, staring down at an ancient-looking book on his lap and rubbing the bags under his eyes. He pushed a piece of blue hair out of his eyes. "They're pretty obscure, so I'm having to look stuff up in the closed archives. Thought something might match, but there's not a lot so far…"

Ronee frowned. "How long do you think it will take you to finish the pattern?"

Sion watched the conversation from her bed, relaxing on the big frilly pillows with a spoon in her mouth and a bowl in her hand.

"I honestly don't know. A few hours? A few days? I'll have to sleep at some point."

Ronee bit her lip and pushed her hair out of her face. "Okay, what should we do… What classes do we have today?"

"Well, Mr. Roi's class," Sion said. She flipped through her planner. "And alchemistry has a te–"

She stopped and squinted at the thin book. "Uh, this can't be right. Guys, check your planners. Did you get this?"

There was a CANCELED stamp over every day.

"What?" Mrs. Hatcher exclaimed. "The board's suspending the school?"

Madam Chen nodded. "Effective immediately, and until further notice."

"On what grounds?"

The principal sighed. "Apparently they received an anonymous report of us not having a night keeper for over a month." She looked away. "And you know they have a knee-jerk reaction to those after that flesh-eating desks incident in New Jersey. Heightened risk of exposure, etc. We are to find a night keeper before classes can resume."

Mrs. Hatcher was silent for a moment. "The letter was anonymous?"

"I know what you're thinking–" Madam Chen said, "I'm pretty sure it's not Mrs. Murrey, as she already called me to bitch about this. She had labored over a pop quiz, apparently…"

"Who else would do this?" the keeper asked, folding her arms across her chest.

The principal shrugged. "Someone who doesn't want the school open, I imagine."

"What do you need me to do?" Mrs. Hatcher asked.

"Just…" Madam Chen started. "Just seal it as usual. Then go home, get some rest. It's out of our hands."

The two walked down the hall.

The bat-winged student watched from behind a row of lockers.

"No school," Ronee said, mildly surprised. "Huh. That's new."

"What do we do now?" Sion asked.

"Does that mean I can sleep?" Remy asked hopefully.

Ronee was quiet for a moment. "I have to think. Remy, yeah, get some sleep. Then try to crack those last two symbols, okay?"

He nodded, beaming, almost crying with joy. "Aye-aye!"

"Sion, you–"

"I'll come over and bring my thinking hat," the redhead interrupted, smiling. "I just have to finish breakfast."

Ronee nodded, closing her eyes. "Alright, signing off." She motioned with her hand and the mirrors flew away.

She opened her eyes and, surprised, finally noticed Rochelle hovering over her. "What?"

"Um, A-Alex, she…" the younger girl started nervously. "She wouldn't know school was canceled. She said she doesn't have her planner."

"She's a smart girl," the older said. "She'll figure it out." She reached out her hands to push herself up.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, twinging.

She flexed her right hand in front of her face, now standing. "What the hell?"

Rochelle stiffened. She clutched her hands in front of her chest. "You, um. You hit it against the floor pretty hard. When… when you fell. Earlier."

Ronee realized what she meant. She rubbed her shoulder. "Oh."

"I can make an ice pack!" Rochelle volunteered.

Ronee shook her head. "No, it's fine. I think I'll take a hot shower, that helps."

"Oh, okay," Rochelle said, nodding and not looking at her. "Do you need any…" She realized the other girl was already halfway down the hall. "…Towels."

She heard the shower hiss on and looked away, a bit hurt. She looked over at her sister's planner and then at the ground, trying to figure out what to do.

The mirror on the coffee table blinked.

She knelt in front of it. "Hello? Oh! Hi, Erin! What's up?"

The person in the mirror was fair-haired and had bat wings.

Ronee pulled her hair into a ponytail as she walked back into the living room. "Hey, how late did Mom say she's working tonight?"

She noticed she was the only one there.

She poked her head into the kitchen. "Rochelle?"

She looked at the table and noticed the note under a plastic-wrapped plate with a sandwich, cookie, and apple slices.

'DON'T FORGET TO EAT!  
>I'M JUST GOING TO RUN OUT<br>TO THE SCHOOL AND TELL  
>ALEX THAT IT'S CANCELED<br>AND BE RIGHT BACK ^^

P.S. I'M WITH A FRIEND  
>SO DON'T WORRY'<p>

Ronee froze, one word sticking out to her.

_School_.

"No," she whispered.

She took off running. "No, no, no! DAMMIT!"

"Hello?" Rochelle called down the school hall. "Alex?"

She looked back at the bat-winged girl behind her. "I'm sure she'll be here soon. Thanks again for coming with me." She turned back around. "And sorry I can't really explain it, I just… She's kind of in a bad situation."

Erin smiled a little. "Yes, yes she is."

The impression of a trapdoor appeared behind the blonde's feet.

It creak open.

Rochelle turned, confused.

"So are you."

The Weirn stiffened, alarmed.

She screamed.

Ronee froze, taking a plastic card out of her purse.

She ran for the gate on the wall. "No! Roche–!"

She froze.

The night pass fell out of her hand.

She collapsed.

Erin walked away from the seal.

"Finally."

She looked up, smiling, revealing strange eyes.

They were a plain shade of green, but the whites were black and the pupils were slitted.


	22. Chapter 22

**Nightschool chapter 22**

Sion stepped through the gate, smiling. "So I was thinking–a free night, how about a mov…"

She looked down and saw Ronee laying on her side, clutching her shoulders, knees pulled up to her chest, eyes squeezed shut.

"Ron…!" the redhead cried. She dropped down next to her and lifted her head off of the floor. "What's happening? Are you okay?"

"Something…" Ronee whispered weakly, "is… wrong with me…"

"What is it?" Sion asked desperately. "A spell?"

The darker girl's eyes slowly opened a crack. "I can't… I can't feel her… Rochelle…"

"Who?" Sion asked, confused.

Ronee's eyes popped open and stared at the other girl, alarmed.

The mirror in Sion's back pocket blinked.

She took it out and flipped it open. "Remy?"

"I can't get ahold of Ronee."

The girl in question was struggling to sit up.

"She's right here," Sion said, "what–"

"I have the gate combination," the demon said. "I couldn't solve it, but I'd set a capture spell, just in case it opened again. And it just has."

Ronee froze.

Her eyes turned black and she was suddenly surrounded in a white cloak, which billowed in a wind that threw Sion back.

"The school," the Sohrem that was Ronee said. "Now."

"Hello?" Alex said, walking down the hall of the school. She looked around, then down at the nightpass in her hand. "Is this thing broken?"

Erin watched from behind a row of lockers.

Her leather hoodie and bat wings turned into an argyle sweater.

Eron stepped out.

"This is weird," Alex muttered, looking back at the entrance.

"Alex?"

She looked back and saw the teacher, with his manila folder under his arm. "Oh. Hi, Eron."

"What's going on?" he asked. "Where is everyone?"

"Don't know," she said, turning back around and not seeing the smirk on Eron's face. "I just got here. Maybe it's–"

_Crackle_

She turned and saw the swirl of light, shadow, and wind surrounding three students.

"Ronee…?" Alex asked the girl. "What's going o–"

"How long have you been here?" Ronee asked the teacher, interrupting.

"Just, just a few minutes," he said, surprised. "Do you know why there's no one he–"

"School's canceled," she interrupted. She turned to Alex. "Rochelle is gone. Same as your sister." Alex stiffened. "We have the gate pattern. You ready to go?"

The younger girl looked at her, surprised, then almost smiled. "Yeah."

Remy knelt down and placed his hand on the floor. "On."

The floor, lockers, and wall were slowly covered in glowing shapes, lines, and symbols.

"Incoming," the demon said, the tattoos around his neck creeping up his face. He concentrated on the circle in front of him and ground his teeth in effort as a ripple of light appeared above it.

He looked up, surprised, as Alex and Ronee knelt down on either side of him and put their hands on the lines. His were in the center of a small circle, and were now covered in black lines as well.

The portal creaked open.

"It's holding," Ronee said, jumping up. "Eron, Treveney, let's go." She put a hand out to stop the other girl. "Not you, Sion."

The redhead looked at her, surprised. "You need me to–"

"Watch my back, yeah," Ronee said. "Stay here, and remember this… No matter what happens, whom you forget… this gate needs to stay open. Okay?"

Sion stared at her for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. Go."

Alex started down. Ronee followed her, and Eron followed behind her. The girls walked into the bog, not seeing Eron toss the folder down behind them.

"It's exactly as we saw," Ronee said, looking at where the sky should've been. "Eron, did you ever find out anything about this place?"

He smiled a little. "Ah. Yeah, yeah, I did. These are… the Bogs of Lethe."

Alex stared down at the marshy ground. "River of Oblivion."

"That's right. Its waters feed this place. Incredible place–very old, very potent magic. Once someone steps in… they are no longer remembered in the world."

Ronee turned, startled.

Rochelle and Sarah were floating next to each other.

"Rochelle!" Ronee cried, running over. She pulled her out of the water. "Rochelle, wake up!" She took the younger girl's face in her hands. "Wake up…"

Alex and her Astral dragged Sarah out of the water. "Sarah!" the Weirn cried, holding her older sister's head off of the ground. "Sarah!"

Nothing.

"Their hearts are still beating," Ronee said, holding Rochelle's head to her chest.

"We need to take them outside," Alex reasoned. "Maybe that–"

"Sorry, girls. That's not the plan."

The girls whipped around.

Eron's sweater and slacks transformed into leather pants, a leather jacket, and several necklaces, his hair becoming more black than brown. "The touching reunion is as far as you get. Now, we do need a bit of privacy for this next part, so…"

He snapped his fingers. "Close."

The stairs started disintegrating.

"No!" Ronee yelled, rushing at him, her Astral popping into view.

Eron gestured with his hand, laughing. A group of something almost like roots sprang up in front of her, blocking her from him.

They twisted around her and her Astral, binding them. A similar group bound Alex and her Astral.

"And now that we are all here…" Eron said, smiling, "I'd like you to meet a couple of friends of mine."

He waved his hand and the girls struggled to look toward what he was gesturing to, their Astrals now out of sight.

Two vague, shadowy figures appeared, bound in chains. A man with a cracked white mask of a face, torn, ancient-looking robes and feather-like hair and a woman with shadowy, flame-like hair, glowing black embers for eyes, a torn dress, and a crack where the bridge of her nose should have been loomed over them, the woman scowling.

Mr. Roi's "colleagues".

_Sssohrem_

Sion and Remy stared at the spot on the floor where the portal had been.

"We have to open it again," she said after a moment.

"Why?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting together. "And why did we open it before?"

She looked away, pushing stands of hair off of her face, desperately trying to remember. "I don't know."

She looked back down, determination replacing the confusion and desperation. "But we have to open it."

Three dark forms appeared in the shadows behind them.

Sion stared at the floor harder. "It's important."

"Yes," the Sohrem in Marina's body said, coming up behind them, flanked by Cassidy and Teresa. The Weirn and demon turned, startled. "Please open it. I will help."


	23. Chapter 23

**Nightschool chapter 23**

"Hello, Sohrem," Eron said, grinning at the cloak-covered girls in front of him, whose eyes were glowing white. "Nice of you to finally show. Don't bother struggling. Those were especially cast to hold you still. And for extra insurance… is why we have your hosts' sisters."

Sarah and Rochelle, still unconscious, were in a similar binding.

Alex and Ronee snapped back into themselves.

"Sarah!" Alex cried, eyes becoming blue and desperate.

"Rochelle!" Ronne yelled, eyes amber again. She turned her attention to Eron. "Let them go!"

"Release me," Alex demanded, already repossessed.

"Woo, careful with the personality switches!" Eron said, laughing. "The little ladies'll get whiplash!"

"You are the one that broke the seal," the Sohrem that was Ronee said.

"That's right, it was me," he said, smiling brightly.

The two broken figures appeared on either side of him, the woman hissing at the girls.

"Uh, with helpful guidance from my esteemed friends, of course," the shifter said quickly.

"Nereshai," 'Alex' growled.

"Night lords?" Eron asked after a moment. "Well, technically not." He stroked his chin, contemplating the observation. "Their sigils have been broken and most of their power bound…"

The woman shoved him aside.

_Ssohrem_

"By a mutual acquaintance of ours," Eron said, nervous now, "but that's not important."

The woman glided over to Ronee, teeth bared.

_Your power – Give it to me_

The woman sunk her claws into the girl's throat. The man did the same to Alex, causing both girls to let out an inhuman shriek.

Both former night lords were thrown backwards off of them.

Alex and Ronee gasped for breath, shocked back into their bodies, their Astrals around them, masks cracked and broken.

The woman rose, hissing.

"Oh, now you're pissing them off!" Eron said, smiling. The wind blew fiercely behind him. "Give up the Sohrem's power now, you brats…" he looked at their sisters, "or else."

"Sarah!" Alex cried, struggling against the roots holding her in place.

"What are you talking about?" Ronee asked desperately. "What power?"

The substitute wasn't please at that question. "I just said…!" He broke off, anger turning to annoyance. "Oh, right, split personalities. Great."

He yelled his explanation over the wind, pointing at the unconscious pair. "You are vessels of enormous power! Hand it over, or we'll kill your sisters!"

"What?" Ronne yelled back, alarmed. "How are we supposed to…?"

"You're supposed to be able to control that stuff!" Eron insisted. "Tell it to–"

Ronee froze as the cloaks once again appeared around her and Alex.

"These hosts are not right," the darker girl said.

The flame-haired woman once again lunged at her, face contorted in rage.

_Give_

She tore at her cloak as the man reached out to Alex, causing both girls to scream.

_CRACK_

The two former night lords looked up. There was a crack of light where the sky should have been. The crack spread until stairs and chunks of concrete were raining down.

The Hunters landed, Marina–glowing eyes, billowing cloak, and all–touching down in the forefront, Cassidy and Teresa landing in crouches on either side of her, and Jaq and Ten getting to their feet behind them.

"Uh," Eron started, eyes wide. "What…?"

The woman looked back at him.

_What iss thiss_

"I d-don't…" the shifter said quickly. "I don't know! I did everything that you said!"

The woman whipped back around and charged, a swirl of energy in her clawed hand.

_Die_

Cassidy and Teresa hit defensive poses as energy swirled around the girl between them, forcing the attack back on the woman and causing her to skid backwards across the marshy ground.

She quickly got up and looked back at them, furious.

Cassidy and Teresa were gasping for air.

Marina pointed to the woman. "Enemy."

"Thanks, we figured!" Teresa snapped.

Cassidy looked back at Jaq and Ten. "Okay, highest level attacks, anything goes! A lot of stray currents here–tap in and use them." He turned back around. "And hold nothing back."

The woman flew at them, screeching.

"All that I am…" Teresa said quietly, closing her eyes.

"I give to the world," Cassidy continued next to her.

Ten closed her eyes and held out her arm, palm down, shuriken held against it, the handle in her other hand. "My blood, my life…"

"My shadow spirit," Jaq finished.

Columns of white light erupted around each of the four, throwing the woman back.

"This…" Eron started quietly, "is not good."

The woman looked at the river.

_The forgotten hear me. Your freedom back to you if you fight._

Hundreds of bodies rose from the river and the ground around them, carrying swords, spears, and a large variety of other weapons.

Ten turned, startled. Her mouth set in a hard line. "If we live, we'd better get an A+ for this."

"Go!" Teresa demanded, charging. Cassidy and Ten were right behind her.

Teresa sprinted through the army of forgotten souls, the air around her alone enough to crack their weapons.

Jaq lashed out at one of the souls, causing it to fall back.

Ten jumped and spun, dodging a spear and wrapping her chain around her attacker.

The two former night lords watched, and knew they were losing.

The woman quickly turned toward Alex and Ronee.

_Give_

She froze, seeing Marina between the two. The younger girl reached out and easily tore the roots away, freeing the other two.

The three floated to the ground and turned on the alarmed couple.

Symbols began appearing in the air as the woman gestured, causing roots to spring up at the three girls.

They held out their hands, palms out, causing the spell to implode.

Cassidy whipped toward the rest of his group. "Ditch the cannon fodder and move to Marina!"

Ten sliced through a forgotten as Teresa kicked a hole through another.

"Got it!" they yelled in unison.

The four of them sprinted toward the white light of the main battle.

Ten sliced though the center of the woman with her shuriken as the Sohrem blasted through the man.

Eron watched, wide-eyed. "Okay," he said after a moment. "This was _not_the plan."

The man's mask cracked as the woman's mutilated body smoked.

The two corpses fell to the ground, leaving the Sohrem hovering above them and the Hunters standing a few feet away, glaring at the remains.

Teresa looked back at the forgotten souls coming up behind them, her eyes glowing black. "Okay, who's next?"

A _howwwl_ was let out as the souls collapsed back into the ground with a _splash_.__

The four Hunters looked back at the empty ground.

Ten wiped a bit of blood from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, ignoring the deep cut on her arm. "Yeah, that's right. Hmph."

She blinked. "Ohhh…" she whimpered, wobbling.

Cassidy caught her good arm as her knees buckled.

"What?" she whispered to herself, eyes wide. "I can't stand."

"You have overspent yourselves, Hunters."

Ten looked up from her spot halfway on the ground and the boys looked up from either side of her. Alex, Ronee, and Marina were hovering in front of them.

"I remember you," 'Alex' said after a moment, face and voice emotionless. "The graveyard… I left you a warning."

Jaq ran at her, screaming.

A wave of energy hit him, throwing him back into Cassidy and Teresa's arms.

Marina's arm was outstretched toward him, palm out.

"Mar," Teresa whispered.

"Traitor," Jaq growled, clutching his chest. "Do you want Noh to die, then?"

Marina blinked, her cloak vanishing, her eyes blue again. "Nadia!" She looked around quickly. "Huh? What's going–"

Her cloak appeared again, her eyes glowing white. "She doesn't matter."

Cassidy looked at her, alarmed. "Marina, listen to me. They said you can control this thing. Try to–"

Alex extended her arm, blowing the four of them back.

Cassidy lifted himself onto his elbows and looked back at them, ignoring the gashes in his arm, forehead, and lip, his eyes wide behind his glasses.

"I speak with the voice of thousands," 'Ronee' said. Alex floated to her right, Marina to her left. "This world's time is done. As is yours."

The hallway was smoking.

Sion and Remy laid in the middle of it, unconscious.

"Dammit, come on, close!" Eron said desperately, trying to force the portal shut. "Close!"

He froze and quickly turned around, seeing the swirl of shadow behind him.

"What are you doing to my school?" Madam Chen asked.

Eron held a hand out in her direction, black symbols glowing on the palm. "Out of the way, old hen!"

He froze, seeing the figures appearing on either side of her.

"So _this_is why my alarm's been tripping," the night principal said, arms folded across her chest, what little light there was glinting off of her glasses. Daemon and Mr. Roi stood on either side of her. "What precisely is the meaning of this?"

Mr. Roi's eyes widened in surprise, taking in the sight before him. He raised a hand to his face, sighing. "Ah. Well. This certainly explains a few things."

Daemon walked over to the man on the ground as Mr. Roi looked down at the principal. "Madam Ch… Sue."

Daemon took the shifter by the collar of his leather jacket, causing the smaller man to flinch and squeeze his eyes shut as Mr. Roi continued. "I don't believe you've ever met…"

Daemon lifted the substitute to his feet by his jacket as the teacher crossed his arms over his chest and finished.

"Eron, my little brother."


	24. Chapter 24

**Nightschool chapter 24**

"You have a brother?" Madam Chen cried, shocked.

"Unfortunately," Daemon grumbled.

"I resent the implications of that tone," Mr. Roi said indignantly.

Daemon yanked Eron's face closer to his own. "What have you done?" the Hunter growled.

"Me?" the shifter panicked. "Nothing!"

_RRRMBLE_

Eron flinched as a heavy gust of wind came from the portal, swirling wildly around the school and making his hair stand on end, anime-style.

The four of them looked up, eyes wide, Madam Chen the only one really surprised.

Mr. Roi loomed over his brother. "You have five seconds to explain yourself," he growled.

Cassidy lowered his arm from where it was braced against his head, leaned up on his elbows, and looked back, surprised. Teresa looked over her shoulder and Ten slowly blinked to consciousness.

Marina was blocking them from Alex and Ronee.

"Why?" the other two Sohrem asked in unison.

"I…" 'Marina' started. "I do not know."

"Step aside," 'Ronee' demanded.

The younger girl was silent for a moment. "I cannot. This one will not let me."

"Marina?"

Daemon was standing in the middle of the marsh, several yards away.

Marina snapped back in control, desperate, one hand reaching out as a warning to get back. "Teache–"

The Sohrem snapped back in, scowling. "Stay back, Nereshai."

Whips of energy zoomed at him and collided, leaving the marshy ground smoking.

Daemon stepped out from the mist-like cover, angular black symbols covering his face, his eyes glowing white. Madam Chen and Mr. Roi flanked him.

"You," 'Ronee' growled.

"Hello, Sohrem," Mr. Roi said. "I understand there are sore feeling, but I urge you to consider negoti–"

"Die," 'Alex' snarled.

The Sohrem sent out a blast of energy.

Cassidy jumped in front of Teresa and pushed Ten behind him, only to have Daemon jump in front and block it.

Madam Chen and Mr. Roi pushed it away.

"That sounded like a 'no' to the negotiations!" Madam Chen yelled.

"Yes, some further persuasion is obviously needed," Mr. Roi agreed.

"Do not harm the hosts!" Daemon yelled.

"Easier said than done!" Madam Chen yelled back. Her hair was longer, streaked with brown, and standing up in the wind. Her eyes had taken a more slanted form.

Daemon dropped down, planting his hand in the ground, palm down.

Roots erupted up as Mr. Roi and Madam Chen still worked with dissipating the spells being thrown at them.

The roots wrapped around the Sohrem, trapping them again.

"Release me," 'Alex' demanded.

By now, Mr. Roi was a bit annoyed. "Sohrem, you are incomplete and out-matched. Do consider neg…"

Ronee froze, startled. A grin slowly spread across her face. "You are wrong. They have come."

The high point of the bog cracked above a startled Madam Chen and Mr. Roi.

Four cloak-clad figures drifted down through the hole.

"I am now whole," one of them, the same one that Mr. Roi thought of whenever the Sohrem was brought up, said. Pale, wavy hair drifted around the figure's shoulders.

Energy flared around Alex, Ronee, and Marina. They were sucked up through the crack and through the destroyed roof of the school to join the other four in hovering over the New York City skyline – the skyline of one of the most populated cities in the world.

"Sohrem…" Mr. Roi started, floating to the left of the group, "last offer to resolve this peacefully."

"Tell us what you want," Madam Chen said, floating on the other side. "Perhaps we could…"

"Justice," 'Alex' said after a moment. "I have come for justice."

Mr. Roi looked at them, surprised.

"I spoke with the voice of thousands," the Sohrem continued. "It is millions, now. This world would not hear them cry. This world would not help. It will now play the price."

Below them, the concrete of the streets cracked. Cars crumpled. People screamed.

Mr. Roi was silent for a moment. "Sohrem, your hosts… they wish for this?"

"They do not speak for me," 'Marina' said. "They were poorly chosen. They will die with the rest."

Mr. Roi looked away, almost regretful. "I see. Then you leave us little choice."

Shadow swirled around the night lords, leaving the teacher facades behind.

"She's still in there!" Teresa insisted desperately, one arm clutching her chest. "Mar, she… she protected us! She's not completely gone!"

"I know," Daemon said, the symbols gone from his skin. "Eron…" The substitute looked up from where a string of symbols were binding him to the fence. "The children are not able to control the Sohrem. Do you know why?"

The shifter thought a moment. "Uh… I-I, I think… it's rejecting the hosts. When I, uh, when we released it, we forced a sacrifice spell, to channel it into the hosts we picked. T-Treveney and Leiburne. So that they could… have leverage when… dealing with it." He looked away. "Except it didn't work out so well."

Daemon didn't respond for a moment. "No. It made a difference. Good."

_RRMMBLE_

Teresa and Jaq looked up, alarmed, as a deep crack formed in the walkway to the school.

"I have to go," Daemon said, looking back at it. He stood up.

"Teacher," Cassidy said after a small moment of silence. Ten looked over his shoulder at Daemon, concern in her big amber eyes. "Are you really a… Are you a Hunter?"

Daemon didn't respond for a moment. "Yes."

Black symbols appeared on his face. "But I am also something else." He started moving. "Stay alive." He flew up into the raging sky. "This is almost over."

The seven Sohrem were bound in place by black symbols.

"Impossible," 'Marina' growled.

"Surprised?" Mr. Roi asked. He was now in an ancient-looking outfit consisting of torn, dark fabric over black armor. "Don't be. This is what happens when your own hosts fight you."

"It's still ripping at the realm!" Madam Chen insisted. Her glasses were gone, her eyes squinted and arched, almost rectangular, and demon-like. Her eyebrows were short and bold, her longer, brown-streaked hair swaying in a wind more powerful than the one she was in. Her neck was encircled by a black, petal-like substance, several of which peeled off in the breeze, and she was in a black, almost scaly, leotard-esque top hemmed with the same substance, with white shoulder pads and a flame-like skirt. Her incredibly long arms, clad in something flowing and white, held the Sohrem together. "We have to relocate and minimize the damage!"

"Release me," 'Alex' growled.

Mr. Roi smiled. "I know just the place. Hunter, care to do the honors?" he asked the man behind him, not turning around.

Daemon pulled out his tarnished, engraved sword, and sliced through the air, opening a hole of white light.

"In you go, little ones," Madam Chen said, gently pushing the seven into the portal.

'Alex' gasped, seeing where they were. "No."

They were standing around a well–a seal–still bound, but individually, not together.

"Looks familiar, yes?" Mr. Roi asked. Madam Chen stood to his right, and Daemon to hers. "This should certainly hold you… while we finish this." He directed his attention to his fellow Nereshai. "Destroying it is out of the question, I assume?"

"Discuss alternatives," Daemon said.

Madam Chen looked at him. "Keeping the hosts intact–is that even possible? This kind of bond, if we try to separate…"

Mr. Roi finished the thought, still looking at the ground instead of them. "They will likely die. We could try individual seals… but at this stage, the bond is deep enough that it caries the sane risk."

"Release me," 'Alex' demanded.

Madam Chen put one clawed hand to her forehead. "This is a mess. How could this happen, right under our noses? If only we had caught it in time…"

Mr. Roi did all but have a light bulb over his head. He thought a moment. "Perhaps it's still possible… to catch it in time."

The other two looked at him, surprised, as he finished. "If we were to change a few things yesterday."

"The Reave," Daemon said after a moment. "Okay. That would solve a lot."

Madam Chen winced.

"Objections, Madam Chen?" Mr. Roi asked.

She was silent for a moment. "It is… a high-price measure, Mr. Roi. I certainly do not balk at the risks to my person, but we'd need the kind of power that unmakes a _realm_."

Daemon glanced at the land around them. He turned to Mr. Roi. "This place… is it yours?"

The other man didn't respond for a moment. "Ah, yes. I sometimes use it for… It's of no consequence. Seeing as I am somewhat responsible for this, I certainly do volunteer it for–"

"Done," Daemon cut him off, walking away.

Mr. Roi glared at him.

"Very well, then it is decided," Madam Chen said, closing her eyes. "Let's get to it, gentlemen, we have to work fast."

She and Mr. Roi disappeared.

"Marina," Daemon said, looking at the possessed girl in front of him. "Don't be afraid."

The symbols and cloak disappeared, leaving only a string of black markings around her neck.

She blinked her blue eyes, surprised. Alex did the same.

"What…?" Ronee asked, confused.

_RRUMBLE_

Marina froze. Alex looked up at the sky, now fragmented with light.

The younger girl looked down, alarmed, as all but the ground beneath their feet crumbled.

Then that did, too.

The three of them fell, screaming.

A symbol–a circle split into seven parts but for the middle, a dot in each section–engraved itself into Marina's neck.

A crack of light.

She was in front of the school.

And it was intact.

Marina looked up at it, disbelieving.

"Mar?"

The youngest girl turned around. Terence looked around, suspicious. Noh stared ahead, uncomprehending. Ten stared up at the sky. And Jay's eyebrows were drawn together as he looked from one person to the next.

"What…" Teresa started, standing in the middle of them and staring off. "What just happened?"


	25. Epilogue

**Nightschool Epilouge**

"The Reave… is a highly sophisticated and power-intensive reality-shaping spell. It is akin to very invasive surgery… a rearranging of reality's sinew and bone to change the shape of it. Shifting some key events, removing others and such," Mr. Roi explained, leaning back against the stone wall, drained.

Madam Chen, who was sitting between him and Daemon, removed her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Thank dark it was fairly minor. Any more and I am not sure we…"

"Yes, rather unsafe for all involved," Mr. Roi agreed. "Especially when a certain Hunter insists on shaping more lives than is absolutely necessary."

"Bite me," the Hunter in question grumbled, his legs pulled up to his chest, his face buried in his arms, which were crossed on his knees.

The teacher looked away from him, annoyed. "Yes. That was the incredibly dangerous and selfless feat we had to perform… to clean up your mess."

Eron looked up from where he was bound against the wall, surprised at his brother's notice of him.

"So," Mr. Roi continued. "What is the undoubtedly excellent reason you did this?"

The shifter didn't answer, glaring off to the side instead.

The paler Nereshai raised a hand to his face, trying not to sigh. "Not going to ask twice, little brother."

Eron froze, alarmed. He looked down, letting his hair fall in front of his face. "I… They said, once they had their sigils back… they'd make me a Nereshai."

The three on the other side of the room looked at him, surprised, almost shocked.

And burst out laughing.

Eron stiffened. "Why is that so funny? You think I can't be one?"

Madam Chen wiped tears from the corners of her eyes, still chuckling. "Oh honey, they lied. No one can _make _you a night lord."

Eron blinked. "What?"

Madam Chen shook her head gently. "It's… complicated. I'll have to explain another time."

The shifter stared a moment, before looking to the side. "So, uh… I'm obviously the victim of misinformation here, then. You should let me g–"

"You will be paying for what you did," his brother interrupted, annoyed, one finger stabbing at the air in the shifter's direction, "and you will regret every minute of it."

Eron frowned. "What are you going to–"

"Shhh," Madam Chen interrupted softly, sliding her glasses back on. "You'll know soon enough."

"It's almost time," Daemon said, straightening his legs and brushing his hand over his forehead, his eyes still closed.

Eron flinched. "T-time for what?"

Madam Chen squeezed her eyes shut, mildly annoyed. "Shhh." She shifted to her feet. "We've been waiting for the Reave's effect to ripple though the rest of the realm. For the stitches to dissolve, so to speak." She brushed off her shoulders. "Feels like it's about time, gentlemen?"

Mr. Roi nodded slightly. "Yes. It should be setting in about 4… 3… 2…

"1."

"Excuse me, pardon me!" Sarah yelled, running through the halls, a cluster of hissing baby dragons in her hands. "Has anyone seen Madam Chen?" She paused next to Sion and Remy.

Sion looked up from her locker, a book in her hand, her bag slung over her shoulder. "I don't think she's in today, Miss T."

Sarah whined softly, still panting.

Remy smiled at the keeper, looking up from his locker, his books clutched to his chest. "Do you need help with those?"

The keeper shook her head. "No, I got it. You guys have a class…"

Ronee and Alex froze in the middle of the hallway, staring at the woman, oblivious to the small symbol engraved in the hollows of their throats.

Sarah noticed them. "Alex! Don't you have Mr. Roi's class in five minutes?"

Alex just stared, emotion filling her eyes. Her arm slowly reached out toward her sister.

"You can't be late," the older woman continued. "He hates…"

She trailed off as the younger girl's arms wrapped around her.

"… that," she finished her sentence, surprised. She set her hand on the white-haired Weirn's head. "Oh Alex, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," the younger girl said firmly, squeezing the keeper, tears leaking out of her eyes. "Nothing's wrong."

"Rochelle," Ronee whispered, still frozen in the same spot. She quickly turned to look behind her. "Where's Rochelle?"

Sion turned her attention to her, surprised. "Huh? You guys were just talking."

"Where…" Ronee trailed off.

The girl in question turned from her place in the middle of the hall and noticed her. "Eh?"

The older girl squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking out of them, and flung herself at the younger, her arms wrapping around her.

"Eh? Eh?" the younger girl asked, confused, but smiling.

"I'm sorry," Ronee sobbed, "I'm so sorry…"

Rochelle hugged her back, still smiling, still confused. "For what?"

"Nadia!" Marina cried, throwing herself at the older girl, her arms wrapping around her neck.

Noh blinked, confused.

"Ooookay, school was trashed just now," Ten said, eyebrows knitted together, staring up at the building. "What happened?"

Jay, standing next to her, shook his head. "Forget that. How _did_we get here? Weren't we sweeping the cemetery just no…" He trailed off, seeing the boy in his peripheral vision. "Oh hey, Jaq. What's–"

The blond cut him off by socking him in the face.

The brunet clutched his nose, staring a hole into the other boy. "What the flying f–"

He dodged a kick that wound up going right over his shoulder.

He clenched a fist. "Oh, it's on now!"

Teresa and Ten watched the ensuing fight, sighing at the screaming, kicks, and punches.

"Now that's a touching reunion," the taller girl said. "Remind me to never get a brother."

"Sister," the shorter corrected.

"Whatever," Teresa muttered. "A Jaq. I'm never getting a Jaq."

"Uh, what ha–" Noh started, confused. She gently hugged back Marina, who was still clinging to her. Terrance stood next to her, looking around with narrowed eyes.

"Welcome back," Teresa said, smiling. "We'll explain everything on the way. Cass, we get instructions?"

"Yes," the redhead said, looking at the note in his hands.

It read, "_Checking on some things. New safe house address on the back, will meet you there~_"

The Hunter sanctuary.

"_Daaaad_, come on! Seriously, I'm fine!"

Theo hit the shoulder of the boy sitting on the table. "You almost _died_! You're getting checked, end of discussion."

"He appears to be perfectly healthy, Theo," the cloaked figure standing on the other side of the room pointed out.

Theo looked up, tears brimming in his eyes. "Check him again, just in ca…" He trailed off, seeing something at the edge of his sight.

His eyes widened a moment, seeing a corner of black fabric breezing by the opening of the tent.

"Daemon!" he said, stepping halfway out. "Need to talk to you! There's a place that needs–"

"Need evidence before making a raid," the Nereshai interrupted, not turning to look at him.

The other Hunter was silent for a moment. "Well, fine! Should be easy enough. That place is crawling with–"

"Dad, come on, can we leave yet?"

Theo poked his head back into the tent. "Oh, fer…"

Daemon smiled.

"This is disgraceful," Madam Chen said, clutching the foam coffee cup between her hands.

"Hmm?" Mr. Roi asked, eyes closed, slouching against the back of the park bench they were sitting on.

"In my school!" the principal exclaimed. "Right under my nose! How was I so susceptible to the effect of the bogs?"

"We all have our blind spots," the teacher pointed out, one hand on his forehead. "That place is from before your time, so you were not immune."

"Well, I am now," she said, frowning deeply. "Grr."

"Do look on the bright side–the realm is now longer the Sohrem's oyster, so that's a job well done, yes?"

"I supposed," she said after a moment. For a while, she didn't say anything, thinking instead. "Except that it's not over, is it? Just postponed. We still don't know precisely what the Sohrem is. Those seals won't hold for long… we'll need to locate the other four hosts soon."

Mr. Roi didn't answer for a moment, staring at the ground. "That's certainly a bridge to cross, yes. However, my immediate concern is…

"Why does my head hurt?" he grumbled, pressing his temples. "I do not approve of this."

Madam Chen took a sip of her coffee. "Mm. The mortal body will take what it needs. Even from us." She was silent for a moment. "You still have to teach your class today."

"Make me," he deadpanned.

She narrowed her eyes, still looking straight ahead.

"Don't sulk," the teacher said. "Don't you now have a brand-new permanent substitute teacher?"

The surprised realization on her face slowly spread into an evil smile. "Oh, yes. I do, don't I."

"Hello, Mr. Roi's class!" Sarah said, waving nervously at the group of students. "We seem to be missing you teacher today. Again. But! Please give a warm welcome to our new substitute teacher… Mr. Eron!"

She gestured to the (once again) sweater-vested shifter behind her. He was silent, his eyes wide in something akin to shock.

"Mr. Eron is a graduate student at NYWU," Sarah continued, "so if you have any question about their programs… I'm sure he could…"

Eron glanced over at the front row of students.

Ronee and Alex were (understandably) silently glaring at him, their faces the image of barely-contained rage, their Astrals hissing at him from behind the desk.

"So, Mr. Eron," Sarah continued cheerfully, "would you like to say anything?"

The shifter was silent for a moment, before defeat came over his features. He was practically crying. "This sucks."

Madam Chen and Mr. Roi shared a self-satisfied smile, both leaning against the back of the bench.

"Yes," the principal said, her hair blowing in the faint breeze. "Yes, this should be very interesting."


End file.
